Frivolitétas in plat rechthoekig model, van karmijnrose satijn met ingeweven strepen van wit zijde en zilver draad, voorzien van een gebloemde katoenen voering c. 1780 - 1790

Curator: Oh, this piece sings to me. I can almost hear the rustle of taffeta gowns. Editor: It does have that feeling. It reminds me of something you’d find in a Marie Antoinette movie, all light and frills, even if just a fragment of fabric. Curator: Indeed. What we're looking at is a beautiful silk textile fragment titled "Frivolités in plat rechthoekig model..." Quite a mouthful, isn’t it? It's from around 1780-1790, created by Zijdeweverij Heshuyzen. It's a rectangular piece in carmine-rose satin with woven stripes of white silk and silver thread. And peek inside—a flowered cotton lining. Editor: I see that. Beyond the pure rococo styling with these linear designs and pale colors, I get a sense of carefully constructed innocence from this fabric. The repetition of lines almost feels like a veil—hiding some deeper story or purpose. Is it meant to deceive or reveal? Curator: Ooh, I love that! It does have a veil-like quality. And think about the term "frivolities". It sounds superficial but in a way, these beautiful crafted textiles helped define identities and status during the late 18th century. These weren't throwaway items. Editor: Exactly, that's where the symbols become so interesting. The stripes, the weave, the rose satin—they all construct meaning within that social framework. The piece isn't *just* pretty, it subtly communicates societal position, and perhaps a little more privately, someone’s desires. Curator: Desires whispered through silk. I like that image. There's a tenderness here too, something delicate threatened by all the weight of its era. The faint traces of flowers blooming behind a rose coloured screen. Editor: Absolutely. Thinking about it more, there's a kind of protective embrace evoked by those parallel stripes and the sturdy lining, holding delicate emotions or untold narratives within. Curator: In the end, maybe this fragment is an act of remembering those delicate and perhaps fleeting identities, stitched and woven. Editor: Or even a quiet challenge to rigid conventions. I find a quiet dignity in such crafted objects.