Lyon silk by Philippe de Lasalle
Woven pictures of birds, flower baskets and pheasants so shaded that they look painted.
Philippe de Lasalle (1723–1804) was Lyon’s leading silk designer and wove hangings for Catherine the Great and Marie-Antoinette. He also improved the loom. Examples are in the Musée des Tissus in Lyon and the Metropolitan Museum.
Materials: Silk, chenille
Manufacture: Woven on an improved drawloom on which Lasalle made patterns interchangeable; chenille yarn gave velvety surfaces.
The birds and flowers with shadows and highlights – woven, not painted.
The chenille giving depth and softness to the leaves.