Dressing a Garden

The Costume Museum will be hosting the Dressing a Garden exhibition from 24 May to 29 September, the main theme of which is the evolution of floral designs in textile art during the Baroque and the Enlightenment periods.

One of the main themes addressed by humans, apart from self-representation, has been the representation of floral designs. They have always been a reference point for cultural manifestations. The fusion between nature and fashion has always been very well received by different societies throughout time. However, the 18th and 19th centuries stand out. The predilection for floral patterns is latent.

This exhibition, curated by Gema Batanero López and coordinated by María del Mar Belver, aims to show the evolution of fashion over these past centuries by means of floral designs.  The exhibition aims to vindicate the study of creative and technical processes, which are an essential part of understanding fashion and its transversality.

Around 120 pieces make up this collection, the core of which is made up of the Costume Museum's collections of historical clothing and textiles from the 18th century and part of the 19th century. In order to recreate these periods in a more realistic way, the exhibition is accompanied by documentary and bibliographic collections, paintings, ceramics and decorative arts from renowned institutions, such as the Prado National Museum and the National Archaeological Museum, among others.

Image Credits:

• Rear view of a woman’s house, 18th century, figured tissue, with embroidery depicting polychrome floral motifs.
• Jacket, around 1815, in figured velvet on Gros de Naples in lilac and black.
• Detail of a dress in silk satin, around 1790. Embroidered in silk thread and sequins depicting a floral motif.
• Detail of the back of a doublet, around 1750, in green silk brocade decorated with polychrome floral motifs.