Waistcoat

Waistcoat

Unknown artist

Details

Origin
British
Department
Costume Institute
Holding institution
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
License
CC0-1.0
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1923

Art Genome Taxonomy

11 tags

Artistic Disciplines

  • The Metropolitan Museum of Art classifies the object as a waistcoat, and the image clearly shows an elaborately decorated wearable garment with a tailored body and sleeves.

Subject Matter

  • Animals Both · 96%

    Bird and insect forms are visible throughout the ornament, matching the catalog’s listed subjects of birds and insects.

  • Flora Both · 99%

    Flowers, leaves, stems, and other botanical forms recur across the garment, corresponding to the cataloged subject of flowers.

Visual Qualities

  • Highly Ornamented Visual · 99%

    Nearly the entire visible surface is covered with multicolored motifs, braided borders, and small hanging decorative elements.

  • Dense Composition Visual · 98%

    The motifs and framed compartments are closely packed across the torso, sleeves, shoulders, and lower edges, leaving little undecorated ground.

  • Patterns Visual · 97%

    Repeated rounded compartments, scrolling borders, and recurring floral, bird, and insect motifs organize the surface into a patterned design.

Time Periods

  • 17th Century Art Metadata · 99%

    The catalog dates the waistcoat to 1615–20, placing it in the seventeenth century.

Geographic Regions

Materials

  • Natural Fibers Metadata · 99%

    The catalog records linen and silk as components of the garment; both are natural fibers.

  • Metal Both · 90%

    Metal is listed in the catalog, and the image shows reflective, metallic-looking braid and small hanging elements along the borders and lower edges.

Textiles

  • Embroidery Visual · 99%

    The image clearly shows extensive stitched decoration in floral, avian, and insect motifs across the garment.

Source & rights

Unknown artist. Waistcoat. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.