Textiles of Louis XIV

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Textiles of Louis XIV

Journal Title: Notes Muzyczny - Year 2014, Vol 1, Issue 1

Abstract

The article about textiles of Louis XIV was based on the lecture its author delivered during the Artistic and Scholarly Session “In the time of Couperin”, which took place at the Academy of Music in Łódź on 17–20 April 2013. The dominating position of France in the time of Louis XIV in terms of the creation of fashion and style is perfectly illustrated by the textiles which were then produced: tapestries, carpets, patterned silk and embroideries. In 1663 the Manufacture des Gobelins, managed by Charles Le Brun, was opened under the royal patronage. It produced luxurious goods for the court, e.g. furniture, goldsmith products, mosaics, china, but first of all, fabrics for royal palaces, mainly Louvre and Versailles. Tapestry weaving mills made tapestries with historical and propaganda motives, created according to designs by outstanding painters. Sumptuous fabrics meant for royal residences were also carpets. Thanks to Louis XIV their production at the Savonnerie manufacture developed. Wall fabrics in his palaces were also embroidered. Embroidery designs were made by royal artists, and their realization was performed by different manufacturers, e.g. the Royal Manufacture of Tapestries, and in monasteries. The character of the French embroidery decorations was mostly defined by works by Jean Louis Berain and Daniel Marot. Patterned silk was used as upholstery. In the time of Louis XIV the French silk manufactures became more important than the Italian ones, both in terms of technology and patterns. Lyon’s manufactures became part of the royal La Grande Fabrique, founded by the minister Corbet in 1667. First of all, they fulfilled great orders for royal residences, e.g. Versailles and St. Germain. Unfortunately, upholstery fabrics from the biggest royal orders were not preserved until our time, they are only known from archive documents. Numerous examples of the patterned French fabrics from the time of Louis XIV did survive in museum collections. They are most richly represented in church collections. Part of them are wide-format velvet and damask fabrics. The remaining ones have the so-called bizarre patterns, which were fashionable at that time. The presence of these textiles in all European countries at the turn of the 18th century proves the major influence of France on the widely understood fashion. French textiles were also eagerly imported to Poland, which is exemplified by numerous historical objects, e.g. liturgical robes of primates Michał Stefan Radziejowski and Stanisław Szembek. The pre-eminence of France in the area of fashion, understood not only as the changeability of attire, but also the creation of a fully-understood style, remained throughout subsequent decades of the 18th century, which passed in the style of Louis XIV – rococo.<br/><br/>

Authors and Affiliations

Karolina Stanilewicz

Keywords

Louis XIV textiles Charles Le Brun

EP ID EP518041
DOI -
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