Artwork

Composition de guirlandes de fleurs et branches de feuilles, projets de broderies de gilet, XVIIIème siècle

Composition de guirlandes de fleurs et branches de feuilles, 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. This eighteenth‑century drawing, attributed to an unknown artist and dated around 1750, is part of the Museum of Ethnography’s collection.

About this work

Overview

This eighteenth‑century drawing, attributed to an unknown artist and dated around 1750, is part of the Museum of Ethnography’s collection. Executed on aged, slightly yellowed paper, the work consists of two diamond‑shaped panels filled with ornamental botanical motifs intended as design templates.

Subject & Meaning

Each panel presents a dense garland of flowers, leaves, berries and buds rendered in a palette of soft pinks, blues, greens, with touches of yellow and red. The composition balances naturalistic detail with stylised arrangement, reflecting the decorative tastes of the period’s textile design.

Technique & Style

The drawing is executed in fine pencil lines, highlighted by a thin blue outline that defines the frame edges. Delicate shading suggests texture, while the overall layout follows the symmetrical, ornamental conventions typical of French and European embroidery sketches of the mid‑1700s.

History & Provenance

Created circa 1750, the piece entered the Museum of Ethnography’s holdings as part of its collection of historical costume and textile design materials. Its anonymous authorship is common for workshop‑produced pattern books used by tailors and embroiderers.

Context

During the eighteenth century, embroidered vests (gilets) were fashionable garments for both men and women. Designers produced paper sketches like this one to guide needleworkers in translating intricate floral motifs onto fabric, a practice that linked visual arts with applied craft.