Woman's gown
Italian manifacturing
The gown consists of a long dress abundantly draped at the back, acquiring the shape of an Adrienne mantle. The sleeves are tight as far as the elbow and adorned with engagéantes en sabot, volant elements which in this case have been reconstructed. At the front, the bust fits closely to the body, opening around a pièce d'estomac, a kind of decorated triangular panel (in this instance a reproduction) that filled the opening on the front of the gown. The skirt, in hydrangea pink gros de Tours, is adorned with rocaille motifs depicting wreaths and bunches of flowers in polychrome silk brocade, spun gold and gold and silver foil. The border is embroidered in sinuously shaped relief, made of silk thread flowers and white ribbons in the form of small lilies of the valley.
Even though the gown has all the basic elements of the habit d la française, one can detect a number of variants nonetheless, for example the shape of the paniers on either side which are clearly separated, suggesting a northern influence in European costume attributable to Piedmontese variations in court dress.
The dress belongs to the grand ducal collections and in the Lorraine era was in the Museum of Tapestries and Ancient Textiles, formerly in the Crocetta Palace.
Ph. Leonardo Salvini
