Such an elegant waistcoat. It is quite rare to find én disposition or woven to shape waistcoats. The gold and silver would have caught the flickering candlelight and looked quite sumptous. From the attic of an English Manor house built in 1550. Provenance available to the buyer.
The cream fine horizontally ribbed silk woven én disposition or cut to shape, with interlocking leaf and fruit meander to the foreparts, the shaped and pointed pocket similarly worked and with another similar swag below, all in narrow flat gold strips caught down with couched silk, the fruits of fine rolled silver strip (over silk core) also couched down, pale green silk leaves, with small four petalled flowers scattered across the front of the waistcoat, the twelve buttons covered with same fabric, hand embroidered buttonholes, both rear sides with different size gores, the back of cotton, the skirt part of silk, lined in cotton.
Back neck to hem 2ft; 62 cm
Underarm 36 in; 90 cm.
Front neck to point 25 in; 64 cm
Very very good. Some of the silver and gold has slightly tarnished, but it does not detract from the beauty of the piece. The inside cotton is very very slightly marked, but hey it was worn. The very bottom front silk lining is split and a few silver threads have come undone, both which need a little conservation.
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