Bizarre Silk Panel

Bizarre silks were the height of fashion for the French and Italian aristocracy in the late 17th and early 18th century. Lavish silk damasks with additional brocading and patterns that mixed fantastic elements with floral, architectural and orientalist motifs, they are instantly identifiable and got their name retrospectively.Around 1720 fashion evolved and folds, pleats and bustles were added in the construction of gowns and the heavy and busy bizarre patterns were replaced by delicate floral sprigs. As they were so expensive, instead of being tossed out they were donated to the church where they were taken apart and reassembled onto ecclesiastical garments and alter covers and that is how they usually survived.