Loom width with Stylized Leaf Design

1790

Loom width with Stylized Leaf Design, 1790. France, Alsace, Sain-Bel, late 18th century. Wax-resist print dyed with indigo, design printed by means of woodblock; overall: 54.6 x 53.3 cm (21 1/2 x 21 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Gertrude Underhill 1935.113 This textile was produced in Alsace, France, located in the eastern part of the country near the border with Germany. Alsace was a leading area in the production of printed cotton. Printed cotton textiles were extremely popular in France in the late 1700s, due in part to an interest by Europeans in Indian textiles and designs. It was printed by means of a wax resist, in which a carved wood block was used to apply hot wax to the undyed surface of the fabric. After the textile was dyed with indigo, the wax was then removed by boiling the fabric in water and melting the wax so that the design was revealed.