Velvet!

This online exhibition is based on a TRC Gallery Exhibition with the title VELVET!, presented at the Textile Research Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands, from 22nd January until 28th June 2019. There are ten separate sections, followed by a gallery of objects housed in the TRC Gallery. Each of these will give access to the TRC online catalogue for more information. Enjoy.

For this online exhibition:

Author: Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood
Web-design: Joost Koopman
Exhibition design: Willem Vogelsang
Publisher: TRC Leiden.
Year of publication: 2019
Copyright: All illustrations of objects housed in the TRC collection can be used free of charge, but please add to the caption: "Courtesy Textile Research Centre, Leiden" and the pertinent accession number of the object.

Pair of red velvet slippers, Morocco, early 21st century.

0. Cover page

This online exhibition is based on a TRC Gallery Exhibition with the title VELVET!, presented at the Textile Research Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands, from 22nd January until 28th June 2019. There…

Postcard with a nineteenth century painting of a woman wearing a velvet jacket, with a stamp depicting the same painting.

1. Introduction: Velvet! A luxurious textile in the spotlight

Soft, smooth, silky – these are just some of the terms conjured up by the word VELVET, but velvet is much more than soft and silky, and often it is…

Late 15th century silk and linen velvet, probably Italian.

2. A brief history of velvet

The creation of a series of loops (a pile) while making a textile is not a new idea. The ancient Egyptians created piled linen textiles as early as the Middle…

White velvet with metal thread, early 17th century (Europe).

3. Raw materials

An essential feature in the production of velvet is the range of raw materials that are being used. Over the centuries these have changed dramatically. Not surprisingly, the late eighteenth…

Voided velvet in silk and linen. European, 17th century.

4. The production of velvet

Currently there are three main ways in which warp-based (‘proper’) velvet are made. Two of these techniques use looms, the third applies a form of knitting frame. Velvets made on…

Red silk velvet with a screen printed design based upon Renaissance motifs (France, 2018).

5. The main types of velvet

These are various ways in which velvet can produce different effects, such as changing the type of fibre or thread used, varying the colour of the pile, using cut and…

Chair cover in red cicelé velvet in silk (17th century, Europe; TRC 2011.0368).

6. Classic velvet designs

Up until the 15th century, designs on Italian velvets tended to be small and were regarded as suitable for any type of silk designs including velvets. Velvet weavers, for example,…

Girl's cape in green, silk velvet, with a pressed moire pattern (purchased in Iran, early 20th century).

7. Clothing and velvets

Caps, hats, bonnets, shawls, dresses, cloaks and capes, coats, jackets, skirts and trousers have all been made in velvet. Some garments, such as the 10 m long velvet skirts worn…

Chair cover made from a red silk, ciselé velvet from the 18th century, France.

8. Furnishing velvets

Furnishing velvets are used around a building, either in public or private circumstances. These textiles can be divided into two basic forms, soft-furnishings, such as curtains and cushions, piano and…

Sample of blue cloth decorated with flock flowers (mid-20th century, Europe).

9. Some alternative velvets

There are various forms of textiles that are superficially related to velvet. These include warp and weft-piled weaves, as well as glued forms. The most common are: Chenille Chenille is…

Roundel depicting a woman embroiderig a piece of Kuba cloth (1955, France).

10. Kuba or Kasai 'velvet'

Kuba or Kasai ‘velvet’ is a form of textile that is produced in Congo. Although the textiles are often referred to as velvets or pile weaves, they are in fact…

Detail of a velvet Pashtun wedding dress with a chest panel decorated with beading and passementerie (Afghanistan).

Velvet