Men’s Suit
Made in Italy (Parma?)
Men’s suit consisting of jacket, waistcoat and breeches in turquoise silk taffeta and waistcoat in ivory taffeta, decorated with floral design in silver thread, seqins, and green and red foil.
Redingote coat with tall, wide-band collar and front fastening with covered and embroidered buttons. Tall cuffs with three buttons and pocket with shaped flap and three buttons.
Swallow tail jacket with side splits and double gussets. Front fastening waistcoat with eight buttons and pockets with shaped flap.
Knee-length breeches with strap and button fastening.
The tight-fitting sleeves and trailing flap on the redingote date it to the late 18th century.
This example comes from the family of the Moll counts of Vienna who, in 1815, together with Marie-Louise de Habsburg-Lorraine, moved to the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza.
The type of materials and techniques used in this particular embroidery, which uses coloured tin foil, reveals the jacket to be from Parma, thanks also to comparison with other examples in the Museum of Fashion and Costume. Nonetheless, this technique is not exclusive to the Parma area, as it can also be seen in other examples with different origins.
Provenance: antiques market
Donation from Campionaria di Firenze
