Dress panel of embroidered silk with coloured silk and gold threads, England, 1725-1750Dress panel of embroidered silk. Two joined selvedge widths of cream coloured grosgrain embroidered with thick gold thread and wire and twisted silk in shades of mauve, green, pink, blue, red, white and black in long and short satin, stem and fern stitches with laid and couched work in a variety of diaper and trellis designs. Much of the metal-thread work is padded.
The lower edge is decorated with two large eight-sided arches, each enclosing a large exotic flower. From the arches slender twisting stems rise the full length of the fabric, and they are decorated with enormous leaves and flowers, most of which are exotic in character and there is one spray of holly leaves, two smaller sprays of thistles and a pomegranate.