Formal Ball Gown in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, July 2018

Title: Formal Ball Gown (robe parée)

Designer: Attributed to Marie-Jeanne "Rose" Bertin (French, 1747–1813)

Date: 1780s (with later alterations)

Culture: French

Medium: Silk satin, with silk embroidery, appliqués of satin; metallic threads, chenille, sequins, applied glass paste

Dimensions: Height (Including train): 84 5/8 in. (215 cm)
Length (of train): 41 3/4 in. (106 cm)

Classification: Main dress-Womenswear

Credit Line: Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto (925.18.3.A–B)

Showing the refinement of French eighteenth-century court dress, this richly embellished ball gown was a luxury few could afford. The metallic threads, sequins, and glass stones would have sparkled by candlelight. The petticoat, originally worn over a large pannier (but subsequently altered to a slimmer style), increased the volume and weight of the dress and, in combination with the train, made it difficult for the wearer to dance or move freely.


Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/699727