~Oreillers~
Antique Decorative Pillows and Textiles
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18th century French pillows of silk bourette
Pillows of French, 18th century, rare silk
bourette. A hand-woven silk with slight nubs woven from the rough outer parts of the cocoon. Soft in texture but strong enough for use. Colors of lemon yellow, raspberry and brick red.
   
     

A soft raspberry colored pillow made from
an 18th century French silk bourette fabric.
Pure silk with slight nubs woven from the
rough outer parts of the cocoon in
Cevennes. (5 available)

Size: 17" x 17 1/2"
Price: $250.00
Item: PL33N-A
   
       

A brilliant lemon/lime French 18th century
silk bourette named Jaune Bouton d'Or
from where this comes. A wonderful hand-
woven nubby silk woven from the rough
outer parts of the cocoon.

Size: 18" x 23"
Price: $275.00
Item: PL33N-B

   
     

An 18th century French silk and wool
blend bourette pillow. A nubby silk woven
from the rough outer parts of the cocoon
in Cevennes. Pure brick in color and made
to wear like iron. (4 available)

Size: 14 1/2" x 20"
Price: $250.00
Item: PL33N-C

   
   
  In 1461 Louis XI, king of France, established a new chateau in the Loire region named
Plessis. Rather than furnish it with expensive imported Italian textiles Louis brought 17
Italian weavers to nearby Tours in 1470 to make hangings for his new castle thus
launching the French silk industry. The raw silk eventually came from Cevennes region
of France which developed sericulture or silk production from the worm to the fiber.
The long inner strands of the silkworm cocoon were sent to Tours and to La Grand
Manufacture in Lyons. The rough outer strand was dyed and woven locally to produce
bourette or soie sauvage (wild silk), a rough weave, hard wearing silk textile used
primarily for bed hangings and bed covers. Bourette takes and retains dyes beautifully
as you will see from these offerings.


 
                 
 
 
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