84 x 96 in.
Emma Harter Sweetser Fund
(Loewi-Robertson), Los Angeles; purchased by IMA (March 3, 1981).
In the 1730s, large-scale, naturalistic, heavy fruits and flowers dominated French fabric design. Jean Revel, probably the most famous Lyon designer, was credited with developing the particular aspects of drawing and shading associated with these patterns. Born in 1684, Revel was designing silks by 1730. He invented ‘points rentres’ a technique that used interlocking joins of two differently colored supplementary wefts to heighten the subtle effects of shading and give a fuzzy quality to outlines.
Here, the realism achieved with silk threads is astounding. The shell-shaped container is volumetric and shoots out into space with a prowlike form, an effect created by the dramatic use of light and shade. Surrounding the fruit filled container are swirls of silver threads reminiscent of the ogival borders of the earlier centuries, by here they are softened into Rococo clouds. Underlying is a lovely pattern of small flowers that covers the entire background - a magnificent design conception worthy of Revel himself.
Exhibition Name
Venue
Dates
Indianapolis Museum of Art
September 7, 1983 - October 23, 1983
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