Dress
Late in the reign of Louis XIV, loose-flowing gowns with pleats gathered at the back neckband were worn as undress wear by daring ladies who liked the ease and comfort of this garment. The famous actress Madame Dancourt popularized these gowns by wearing one in Terence’s Andria, after which such gowns were often called andriennes. As the style developed the gathers were formalized by being drawn into one or more flat pleats, and a dome-shaped hoop or pannier was worn to extend the material around the wearer. When a lady moved, air was trapped under the hoops and she appeared to be floating; thus the name robe volante. This type of dress is often erroneously called a "Watteau sack," despite the fact that Antoine Watteau had little to do with the creation or dissemination of the fashion. According to the Mercure de France, by 1729 robes volantes were "universellement en règne, on ne voit presque plus d’autres habits" (universally in vogue, one hardly ever sees any other kind of dress).
Artwork Details
- Title: Dress
- Date: 1700–1735
- Culture: French
- Medium: silk
- Credit Line: Gift of Estate of Annie-May Hegeman, 1950
- Object Number: C.I.50.40.9
- Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
French
1750–75
French
1785–87
French
1774–92
French
early 1620s
French
1690–1700
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.