Robe à la Française

Gown in floral sprigged Peking silk. Full-length and open at the front to let the underskirt or petticoat show through. At the back, flat pleats fall from the neckline to the lower hem like a train. The front edges are decorated with an appliqué of pleated cloth strips.

This type of gown, internationally known as “robe à la française”, was called bata in Spain. It is characterized by the flat pleats starting from the neckline, which run the whole length of the back, ending in a train. The cloth used has a design which from its technique and decorative arrangement must have appeared around 1760. The pattern with its trimmings of pleated strips in the same material or robings is typical of this type of gown from 1770.