French Silk Bizarre/brocade Silk Pillow Circa 1680

An extravagant and rare circa 1680 French silk bizarre brocade with polychrome silk and silver metal threads on a red ground which depict silver metal thread urns with silk flowers. Edged with a rare gold 18th century silk and metal galon with a floral design, finished with a 19th century silver metal fringe all on red silk velvet.  

These brocade silk damask patterns earned the nickname “bizarre silks” due to their extravagant and flamboyant designs taken from the Far East and India. These patterns were typically designed for ladies’ dresses and were very costly at the time because of the materials used. Due to the relatively short period they were produced, 1680 – 1720, before falling away completely makes them extremely scarce and expensive today.   (3 available, Patterns vary on fronts; galons vary on each pillow.)