GILET GRENADE, in silk damask decorated with... - Lot 29 - Coutau-Bégarie

GILET GRENADE, in silk damask decorated with pomegranates and gold crosses on a yellow background, yellow back and ivory lining. Size XS. History of the "Grenade" vest Emblem of the rain goddess under the Sassanid dynasty (226-651 CE), the pomegranate has been a symbol of fertility and fecundity ever since. Initially, the pomegranate had as much to do with the Lotus flower and the pine cone as with the pomegranate itself. Over the centuries, it became an allegory for the spiritual nourishment of the Catholic Church. Like the Church itself, this fruit contains a multitude of good seeds within its shell. That's why, from the end of the 13th century to the beginning of the 16th, there were hardly any bishops or princes who didn't wear the so-called pomegranate velvet, a symbol of power, wealth and belonging to the celestial world. The Grenade vest is cut individually from a damask of great intensity. Created in the 18th century under Louis XV, it sensitively reflects the fruit and its pulp, steeped in symbolism and history. The harmonious blend of a large motif and a worked background is characteristic of the textile creations of Louis XV's reign.