It would be nice if Santa came down the chimney tonight in this 19th century red court dress of German origin with elaborate gold embroidery from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
According to Gail Marsh in her excellent book "18th Century Embroidery Techniques," metal-thread embroidery became a popular form of embellishment in the 18th century, as it would "catch the eye and the light from shimmering candles and mirrors at any ball or banquet." Sounds pretty beautiful to me.Merry Christmas!
Front
Back
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Front Bodice
Amazing Gold Embroidery
I believe, for the most part, the embroidery here is realized by folding the gold ribbon back and forth in a zig zag fashion and securing with couching stitches. There seems to be two kinds of ribbon, one the shiny metallic and the other looks more woven in the picture.
A Voluminous Elaborate Metallic Trim. For a price, you can still find trims similar to this in the garment district in New York or at Tinsel Trading Company (now located on the Upper East Side).
More Gold Embroidery