THE MET
Black Silk Velvet Smoking Cap with Gold Embroidery
Empire / Regency · 1810s · European
Production
handmade
Material
silk velvet
Culture
European
Influences
Ottoman Turkish cap styles · Empire period botanical motifs
A cylindrical smoking cap in black silk velvet with elaborate gold metallic embroidery featuring botanical motifs including wheat sheaves, grape vines, and scrolling foliage. The cap has a flat crown and straight sides that would sit close to the head, with a gold tassel attached at the back. The embroidered design covers approximately half the circumference in a flowing, naturalistic pattern typical of Empire period decorative arts. The metallic thread work appears to be couched or tambour embroidery, creating raised dimensional effects against the deep pile velvet ground. This type of cap was worn by gentlemen for informal evening wear at home.
hattight fit
Connected To
47%
Technique·hand-embroidery
LINEAGE10 years · cross-culture · cross-category→ directed
Lineage: “Empire period botanical motifs”
That delicate cream parasol and the black velvet smoking cap are both products of the same Empire-period obsession with botanical embroidery, but they reveal how differently men and women inhabited luxury in the early 1800s. The parasol's scattered floral motifs—likely worked in silk thread on linen—speak to the feminine art of outdoor display, while the cap's gold-threaded vine work represents the masculine retreat into private, oriental-inflected leisure.
Text51%
Image73%
Entity17%
VISUAL ECHO150 years · cross-culture
Text62%
Image85%
Entity
VISUAL ECHO70 years · cross-culture
Text64%
Image81%
Entity
VISUAL ECHO60 years · cross-culture
Text73%
Image82%
Entity1%
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