Still glowing after c260 years! An 18th Century silk apron
In a soft primrose or buttermilk, the silk of this typical mid 18th Century apron is light and fluid, with none of the stiffness found in truly early silks. The silk thread colours are so bright and vivid, despite it's circa 260 years! The metal embroidery is mostly silver. It appears to have never been made up into an apron, and is hemmed to all four edges with tiny silk stitches. I have written a Blog to explain more about it, especially the profuse amount of embroidery technique used within. Do see the blog for extra photo's as well. The size of 44" wide and 24" deep is well documented as typical of it's time. A stunning piece, I love the phrase used by an experienced-in-costume friend when she caught the exact essence of it: '18th century aprons are quite extraordinary – the equivalent of ‘Look at Me’ designer handbags!' Yes, it is the 18th Century version of a 21st Century designer bag!
CONDITION
The apron is very good for it's great age, but will need to be treated as fragile. There are no harsh stains at all. One to a side is clear, perhaps water staining, but very soft. There is a little slight colour run of the pink colours. The apron has been folded in it's history, which is always a bad idea with silk. The fold lines show fine splits and minor shredding of the silk, not touching the embroidery. The apron must never be folded again and will be sent rolled in tissue, which is how it should be stored. One side of the central silk has a series of tiny nibbles from some creature, all confined to one area. There is shattering to the silk immediately next to the heavy and thickly padded motifs, because the weight of the embroidery has weakened the soft silk fabric. This is to be expected.
So, a beautiful heirloom piece, but only if you are prepared to store it correctly. NOTE 1]: Please ask for photo's of the damaged area's through my email. 2]: The apron will be sent outside the UK with Royal Mail tracked and signed for service. A maximum of £250 insurance will be included. Please ask if you want a quote for full insurance.