Waistcoat

An early 18th century example of a men's sleeved waistcoat.

A gold, silver and silk thread waistcoat with a long-skirt and single breasted. Pattern of formal foliage, berries, and stripes for the front panels, sleeve cuffs, and back skirt of the waistcoat; yellow figured silk used for the back panels and body of the sleeves.

26 centre front buttons of gold work; gold thread used for buttons holes. Flap pockets on the hip with scalloped flaps and 3 gold worked buttons and button holes. Cuffs have 2 sets of the same gold metal worked buttons. The right sleeve cuff does not line up at the seam, and so there is a step in the pattern. The fabric underneath the pocket flap reveals a truer representation of the original vibrant colour of the silk. The body of the waistcoat is backed in a canvas fibre to add weight and structure.

This type of silk is a 'Bizarre silk', a type of figured silk popular in Europe around this time; Influenced by Asian textiles, Bizarre silks are identifiable by their large scale and asymmetrical patterns depicting foliage and fruits.

It appears this waistcoat was probably cut from a piece of woven textile, rather than the alternative of having a design woven to the desired size and shape of a waistcoat.

The material is comparable with a design by James Leman, dated 1718 (Victoria and Albert Museum, E 4451 – 1909) and the court suit of Peter the Great at Pavlovsk, near Leningrad.