Waistcoat (France), 1785–95

Medium: silk and metallic embroidery on silk foundation Technique: embroidered in silk in knot, stem, and satin stitches; metallic yarn in satin stitch; couched silk cord; appliqué of three plain weave silk fabrics; on plain weave foundation Label: silk e. Bequest of Richard Cranch Greenleaf in memory of his mother, Adeline Emma Greenleaf. 1962-54-47.

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What is this?

White silk waistcoat with high stand collar and straight hem edge. Very deep border at front edges of a curving, flowering vine. At the bottom, embroidered figures in classical dress stand in front of a stone balustrade with urns of flowers and fruit trees. The figures represent Dido and Aeneas, from the opera by Piccini and Marmontel, produced in 1785. The figure of Dido is after a drawing by Jean-Michel Moreau le Jeune for the costume worn by Mlle. de Saint-Huberty. In twenty-five colors of silk.

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<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18445265/ |title=Waistcoat (France), 1785–95 |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=1 March 2015 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>

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