Two Joined Panels of Brocaded Yellow Furnishing Wool, by England, Probably Norwich, c. 1720s
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Two Joined Panels of Brocaded Yellow Furnishing Wool

England, Probably Norwich

c. 1720s

Medium
Wool, worsted, damask weave; brocaded
Classification
Textile
Dimensions
Overall: 90.2 × 88.9 cm (35 1/2 × 35 in.); Each panel: 90.2 × 45.7 cm (35 1/2 × 18 in.)
Culture
England
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago, Textiles
Credit line
Mary Ann Judy Endowment Fund
Rights
Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
Who can see it
Little Ones profiles and older: it shows gentle subjects for the very young. How works are placed

View at the Art Institute of Chicago

About this work

Patterned woven wool fabrics were employed for both upholstery and clothing. The city of Norwich, in Norfolk, is commonly known as the primary center for weaving wool in the 18th century. Fine woolen textiles were the backbone of the English economy for hundreds of years, from the late middle ages until well into the 19th century. Britain’s North American colonies provided a ready market for luxury goods like these patterned wool fabrics. In fact, a dress in the collection of Colonial Williamsburg is made of a very similar textile (inventory number 1988.223).

Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0