Friday 26 July 2013

Contrasting Colours

Charlotte de Turckheim in "Jeanne Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour" portrays and ageing Marie Leszczynska and wears this gown in the process. The sleeves as well as the sides of the bodice and the skirt is made of turquoise satin. The contrasting red which is almost Bordeaux is a surprising choice of complementary colour to the turquoise but manages to bring out both colours beautifully. This red fabric (also satin) has been used for the petticoat; but it is probably the eight large bows (six on the bodice and one on each arm) on the top part of the gown that draws the most attention. The very fabric of the bodice is also turquoise though it almost seem to be of a brighter tone than the remaining dress.

The gown has also been embroidered with flowers all the way down from the shoulders to the hem of the same deep red and silver thread. Lastly there is the large amount of lace (typical of this period) with at least two layers hanging from just beneath the elbow and a surprisingly large amount of lace appearing at the neckline.

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