English rococo.
Design form Spitalfields silks.
by Martin Ciszuk.

In the Victoria & Albert Museum there are collections of 18th century designs from the manufactories of Spitalfields. The fabrics which were originally woven and brocaded are now reproduced as machine embroidery on silk.

The silk weaving manufactories of Spitalsfields were located in the outskirts of London. The manufactories were started by French silk weavers who were Huguenots escaping to England during the religious wars of the 17th century. During the 18th century there was a production for the local market as well as for export. English designers gave the silks a particular English rococo style, characterised by light designs and naturalistic flowers.

Duran Textiles has chosen to reproduce three designs and named them ROCOCO, ROYAL and TULIP. We started with the old hand painted original drawings and transferred them to modern embroidery techniques. The technically advanced embroidery machines gives the possibility to reproduce the 18th century designs and keep their character and expression.

Dress made from the silk Rococo. The dress is now on display at Stockholm City Museum.

Coloured pattern drawing by Anna Maria Garthwaite, 1744. and the machine embroidered silk Tulip on red ground.

Coloured pattern drawing by Anna
Maria Garthwaite, 1744.

The first sample is made on white cotton. When the sample is approved the final design is embroidered on silk. The Design Royal will come on cream, jade green and egg-plant coloured ground.

The original is a brocaded silk dated 1774-76.

The embroidered silk Rococo is made on five grounds, off-white, pale pink, pale yellow, spice and prune.

Embroidery machines in Bangalore, India.

The machine works simultaneously with nine different coloured threads.

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