Rare, unusual and interesting antique costumes and textiles; for museums and collectors looking for that extra special piece, for new and established collectors and for those with a modest budget who want to adorn their person or home.

Rare Norwich Calimanco
18th c

Very rare. These pieces will be of academic interest to weavers and historians. I have four lengths left. Some have slight marks to one side, but as they are reversible this is not a problem.



The V & As 1760s sample book of the Norwich manufacturer John Kelly  has costs of production of various worsteds. Although the book was for the Portuguese market yellow stripe callimancoes in the book bear a striking resemblence to this stripe, of course they exported worldwide.  The glaze (calendering) was achieved by putting the completed fabric through heated cylinders. Calendering makes the fabric dirt resistant and therefore stronger. Callimanco or Kalamink is a Spanish word meaning a worsted material, with a fine gloss ie calendered or glazed. There were many types of callimanco and they could be brocaded, clouded, figured, flowered, mock striped, shaded, sprigged, striped white and white flowered or plain. These fabrics were produced in vast quantities for the export market. An account of 1802 describes the brilliance of calamancoes, satins and brilliants: This manufacture was peculiar to Norwich, and the colours employed were said to surpass any others dyed in Europe. A photograph of a similiar skirt in adifferent colourway dated 1763 is held in a private collection in Friesland. This was bought in Holland where it is called grein and was used for skirts. In the Symbuts sample book in the Fries Museum in The Netherlands there are samples of stripes or grein along with damasks, plains and diamante designs with measurements in yards all exported from Norwich. Similar striped fabric appears on the sample cards from the Norwich Textiles website

 


Cataloguing

Three double stripes of bright green, yellow and brown, alternating with pale grey/blue, mid and lighter blue.



3ft 6 in x 15 1/2 in; 1.06 x 39 1/2 cm


Condition

There is no sign of calendering (glaze), which must have worn off over the years.



Length E - Very slight marks to the back.



Length F - 20 in; 50 cm from the top on the right hand side there is a hole3/4 in; 1.5 cm, flanked by a much smaller hole and another of similar size to the right.At the bottom are two very large holes.                        Approx 2 1/2 in; 6 cm plus damage around.  This could of course be cut off.  See photo.



Length G - Six small holes (white pinhead size) scattered throughout, plus small hole lower left hand side near the hem.


Comments

Several museums have pattern books of Norwich worsteds including the V & A, Wintherthur and the Fries Museum, The Netherlands.



For similar skirt in this fabric: www.modemuze.nl/collecties/rok-greinen-keus-van-achttiende-eeuwse-stof-walcheren



See: ARTICLE section on my website for Norwich Stuffs.


Price: on request

Ref N°: 1374