Court suit worn by Sir John Thomas Stanley of Alderley, Cheshire, (6th Bt. 1735 = 1807), 1770-1785

1 janvier 2016

Court suit worn by Sir John Thomas Stanley of Alderley, Cheshire, (6th Bt. 1735 = 1807), 1770-1785

Court suit worn by Sir John Thomas Stanley of Alderley, Cheshire, (6th Bt. 1735 = 1807),, 1770-1785. Purple velvet coat and breeches, lavishly embroidered with naturalistic flowers; white satin waistcoat, similarly embroidered © Manchester Art Gallery, 2015

Coat : lined white satin, except sleeves lined cream twilled silk high standing collar, fronts curving away to sides, fastenings with two hooks and eyes, with ten embroidered buttons and two buttonholes; pocket, white linen, each side with shaped flap; back in two shaped sections continuing to form centre back of skirt, open from waist; rest of skirt in two sections, each extending from front to back and seamed at waist; open and pleated from waist each side of back, caught with button and stitching at hem and with stitching 9 in. above; long fitting sleeves in two sections with wider cuffs; embroidered with net applique and coloured silks with lilies of the valley, narcissi, forget-me-nots and other flowers mainly in satin stitch, on collar, neck and front edges, on pocket flaps and surrounds, cuffs, centre back and side-back slits; three embroidered buttons beneath each pocket flap, one at top of each side back slit, three on each cuff. Breeches: wide waistband lined white cotton with six horn buttons along top edge, fastening with three buttons at centre front; white cotton gusset centre back fastening with two straps and two tabs with buttonholes; front flap lined cream twilled silk fastening with two buttons, short slit near top of centre seam; pocket, white cotton, each side, extending from front to side, front lined cream twilled silk, fastening at side with button; small deep slit pocket, white cotton, in waistband each side of front opening; knee fastening, lined white cotton, with five buttons and band embroiderd with forget-me-nots in coloured silks, mainly in satin stitch, fastening inside with pearl button waistcoat: front white satin, embroidered, lined white satin; back and back lining white cotton front fastening to high round neck with twelve embroidered buttons and buttonholes; T-shaped join near shoulder on each side; flared skirt seamed at and cut away below lowest button; pocket with shaped flap at seam level; front and bottom edges and pocket flap with embroidery like that on coat but with slightly different colouring and with the net applique over pink satin insertion; small flowers and leaves over rest of fronts; pocket flaps outlined in brown; back with centre seam open below waist with overlap; slit sides.

Whilst everyday clothes for men were increasingly made of wool from the 1770s, for formal occasions such as court events or official receptions and assemblies in regional towns, menswear remained much more sumptuous, decorated and colourful. Suits were made of rich silk satins and velvets, which were exquisitely and ornately embroidered with coloured silks in floral designs. Such suits were often professionally sewn by the piece in French workshops, then imported to England where they could be made-up and fitted to the wearer by an English tailor. This court suit was probably worn by Sir John Stanley of Alderley, who was a Gentleman of the Privy Chamber to George lll. The museum also has five other suits from the same source, several of them equally highly embroidered. Such suits would have been worn with a fine ruffled linen shirt and cravat, white silk stockings and a black wool-felt bicorne hat as carried by the man in the fashion plate. They represent the height of eighteenth century elegance and opulence, when men were as elaborately dressed as women.