Artwork

Composition avec branches fleuries, guirlandes de fleurs bleues et blanches, rayures fleuries, projets de broderies de gilet, XVIIIème siècle

Composition avec branches fleuries, guirlandes de fleurs bleues et blanches, rayures fleuries, projets de broderies de gilet, XVIIIème siècle is a drawing by Anonyme. It dates from 1750 and is held in the collection of the Palais Galliera - Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris.

About this work

Overview

Created around the middle of the eighteenth century, this anonymous drawing presents a pair of folded textile panels adorned with intricate floral motifs. The composition features delicate branches, garlands of blue and white blossoms, and striped flower patterns intended as a design for a vest. The work is part of the collection of the Museum of Ethnography.

Subject & Meaning

The illustration serves as a decorative scheme for garment embroidery, showcasing an arrangement of blossoms and foliage that would have been applied to a men’s waistcoat. The recurring use of soft pinks, blues, whites and greens, framed by a purple border, suggests an aesthetic aimed at elegance and refinement in courtly dress.

Technique & Style

Executed in fine pen and ink on aged, slightly yellowed paper, the drawing employs cross‑hatching and delicate line work to convey texture and depth. Handwritten annotations, including numerical marks and the term “murgene,” indicate a working sketch rather than a finished artwork, intended to guide the hand of an embroiderer.

History & Provenance

Attributed to an unknown artist, the piece dates to circa 1750 and has been retained within the holdings of the Museum of Ethnography. Its survival on paper with marginal notes provides insight into the practical processes of eighteenth‑century textile design.

Context

During the eighteenth century, elaborate embroidered garments were a hallmark of aristocratic fashion, and pattern books circulated among tailors and artisans. This drawing exemplifies the type of preparatory material used to translate ornamental motifs from paper to fabric, reflecting contemporary tastes for floral ornamentation in male attire.