Summary

Strip of spun glass (gold) & silk (red & gold).

The spun glass is in a form made by Ignace Dubus-Bonnel (1794-1871), a weaver and dyer from Lille, France, who filed the first patent in1836 for making glass fabrics. He invented a process for making fine glass thread and then weaving it with silk threads on a Jacquard loom to create textiles such as hanging fabrics and church ornaments. The presence of glass within the fabric imitated the shimmering quality of silver or gold brocade, especially under candlelight. This sample is of a design of fabric believed to have been made by Dubus-Bonnel in 1839-1840.

Transferred to the Industrial & Technological Museum from the National Gallery of Victoria in 1931.

Physical Description

Strip of red and gold tapestry, made of glass and silk.

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