This is a magnificent example of English court dress of the mid-18th
century. It would have been worn by a woman of aristocratic birth for
court events involving the royal family. The style of this mantua was
perfectly suited for maximum display of wealth and art; this example
contains almost 10lb weight of silver thread worked in an elaborate
'Tree of Life' Design. The train is signed 'Rec'd of Mdme Leconte by me
Magd. Giles'. The name Leconte has been associated with Huguenot
embroideresses working in London between 1710 and 1746. The Huguenots
were French Protestants who, following the repressive measures against
them that the Catholic monarch Louis XIV of France restarted in 1685,
emigrated to Britain and elsewhere.
From the
collections of the Victoria and Albert (which also has a photo of the back and a closeup of the fabric),
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