Amazon bodice in silver and gold lamé cloth – England or Europe Circa 1750-1760

Sleeveless bodice and long pleated basques in silver cloth, lampas in silver thread. Rich polychrome silk brocade with wood berry design and undulating scrolls of gold thread. Skilfully tailored with long pleated basques with matching buttons and front patch pockets inspired by the men’s wardrobe. A perfect complement to a formal sports outfit or a British Amazon. This bodice has a low front and can be worn with a stomach piece or over a supple corset. Cream cotton lining. A few silver blades have been pulled, but otherwise there are no stains or holes, and the silver cloth has retained its shine. Very good colour and condition.

Dimensions: Equivalent to a 12 year old girl today. Shoulders 28 cm, chest 72 cm, waist 66 cm, height 60 cm.

Published and exhibited in the Villa Rosemaine 2023 catalogue.
* The corps des ouvriers en draps d’or, d’argent et de soie (gold, silver and silk cloth workers’ corps), set up in 1610, integrated the two branches of weavers into a single corps, one – the velvet weaver – specialising in heavy fabrics, the other – the taffeta weaver – producing light fabrics. Taffetas were made in Lyon, Paris, Tours and Nîmes for the Kingdom of France, but also in England, Avignon, Spain and Florence. The variety of names given to these different taffetas tells us about the prosperity and specialisation of certain European cities in the manufacture and trade of light silk fabrics: Armoisin taffeta and “florence” came from Italy and were imported by Italian merchants to Lyon. Avignon made demi-armoisin and demi-florence, which were lighter than those from Lyon. The gros from Tours imitated and perfected the gros from Naples, while the taffeta from England, considered in the 18th century to be a fabric of exceptional quality, was also used by Lyon artisans. The diversity of production sites should not obscure the golden age of Lyon’s “Grande Fabrique de Soie”, which was reformed and modernised under the reign of Louis XIV by the decisive action of Colbert to set itself apart from other European factories”.
* extract from a publication by the Archives départementales de Vaucluse – Avignon 2020