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Dress for Excess: Fashion in Regency England

5 February 2011 to 5 February 2012

'This major fashion exhibition celebrates the 200th anniversary of the Regency Act by looking at the life of George IV as prince, regent and king through fashions of the late Georgian period.

Men’s and women’s costumes are displayed throughout the palace exploring themes from George’s life and the stylistic influences of the period.

A new exhibition space, the Prince Regent Gallery, is dedicated to George and also shows items of dress he wore, from a beautifully printed banyan of the 1770s to his huge breeches worn towards the end of his life. The most spectacular item is George’s extravagant coronation robe, on loan from Madame Tussauds, Merlin Entertainments Group and not seen in public for 30 years.

This is only the second time a fashion exhibition has been held in the former royal palace and it brings to life not only the Royal Pavilion’s architecture but its rich collections of furniture, textiles and decorative arts.'

Early 20th century Lyon silks

Here are some lovely old French silks from Lyon, unused and still with their labels, they date to about 1910-30. They may have been samples or swatches, or simply unused pieces stored away and forgotten about until now. The weight is quite good, so I assume they were upholstery silks, and very elegant they are too. Simple but classic colours, some watered, some plain; instant elegance and opulence would be added to any room furnished with these silks.

Exciting New French Toiles c1810-1830

I went to an antiques fair a couple of weeks ago on the promise of a few interesting toiles that two of my favourite French dealers had emailed me about. I wasn't disappointed; as well as a couple of designs I have come across previously, there were some lovely new ones I hadn't seen before in the 'cloth' so to speak, or in any of my books.

I think most of them date to somewhere round about 1810-1830. There were some gorgeous pieces that tell the tale of William Tell, a fabulously detailed and dynamic print, full of energy and excitement, a few of panels that I think both came from Nantes, one depicting tales of Swiss 'amour' that is nicely simple and quite naturalistic and another more dramatic print depicting tales about a couple called Lodoiska & Lovzinski. Luckily enough the toiles have come in quite a few separate pieces, so plenty to sell, but more importantly, some to keep for myself!

An intresting up & coming exhibition at the V & A

Here is the link: http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/asia/imperial-chinese-robes/

Imperial Chinese Robes from the Forbidden City

7 December 2010 - 27 February 2011

Book Tickets

This exhibition shows three centuries of beautiful and historic royal robes worn by the emperors and empresses of the Qing Dynasty, the last ruling dynasty of China (1644-1911).

On display are elaborate and exquisite robes, hats, shoes and children's clothes, along with beautifully patterned fabrics created for the fashion-conscious Empress Dowager Cixi and her court ladies. The exhibition also explores the complex rules and conventions specifying which clothes should be worn on different court occasions: from official robes for important rituals to festive dresses for banquets and celebrations, and travelling ensembles for hunting and royal visits to the provinces. On show for the first time in Europe, this is a rare opportunity to see these sumptuous historic garments.

All objects in the exhibition are from the Palace Museum, Beijing.
Exhibition kindly supported by Lady Keswick and Sir David Tang.

An evocative autumnal print

This 19th century French upholstery cotton came from the headboard of an upholstered bed. I love the autumnal motifs of hops, harvest and the Green Man.

Coming soon to the V & A - I cant wait!

This looks wonderful, an excerpt from the BBC's Arts & Culture section of their news website www.bbc.news.co.uk on 27th May:

Raphael's Sistine Chapel tapestries headed for V&A

The Miraculous Drought of Fishes is one of four tapestries to be featured

Four tapestries designed by Raphael for the Sistine Chapel almost 500 years ago are to be displayed at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London in September.The tapestries will be shown alongside their full-sized original designs, called the Raphael Cartoons, which have been on display at the V&A since 1865.It will be the first time they have been shown together.

V&A director Mark Jones said it was "a marvellous opportunity to see great Renaissance masterpieces reunited".

The six-week exhibition will coincide with Pope Benedict XVI's historic visit to Britain.

Raphael was commissioned by Pope Leo X to design the works - The Miraculous Drought of Fishes, Christ's Charge of Peter, The Healing of the Lame Man and The Sacrifice at Lystra - which were woven in Brussels and sent to Rome for display.The four - part of a series of 10 - are the only tapestries designed by the Renaissance artist, of which examples survive.

The tapestries are owned by the Vatican Museums, while the cartoons belong to the Queen.The seven cartoons have been on long-term loan to the V&A since the reign of Queen Victoria and are too fragile to leave the museum building.

Tickets to the exhibition are free and will be available from 1 July.

Elegant Mythological Scenes c1782

This is such an elegant print, it is a toile de Bordeaux, c1782, and depicts delicious mythological scenes from Ovid's Metamorphosis.

The panel was extremely damaged to the point of literally falling apart, just a few tantalising areas in good condition. Most people would pass such a damaged peice by, but I can't resist them in that condition, as I then like to salvage as much as possible. I hate to think of the number of glorious textiles in terrible condition that have been thrown out, there is always something useful left, no matter how damaged, even if just to keep for reference.