Man’s Morning Gown (Banyan)

mid-18th century

Not on view

Returned to lender

This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.

The Indian palampore-inspired floral designs on this cotton fabric are more typically seen in expensive French dress silks of the mid-eighteenth century. The surface of the cotton, produced in India for the French market, is enlivened by labor-intensive gilding and burnishing, elevating the cotton to an exotic luxury fabric. This outfit would have been reserved for private encounters and the gold leaf would have glittered in a candle-lit room. The matching banyan and waistcoat are exhibited together here for the first time since the two pieces were purchased by different museums almost eighty years ago.

Artwork Details

Overview

Title: Man’s Morning Gown (Banyan)
Date: mid-18th century
Culture: India, for the French market
Medium: Cotton (printed and painted resist and mordant, dyed) with applied gold leaf, silk lining
Dimensions: height: 55.9; width: 67.7 in (142 x 172 cm)
Credit Line: Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of the Textile Arts Club
Curatorial Department: The American Wing