The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 19, 2025
Silk Curtain Fabric Depicting Tropical Vegetation
c.1927
designed by
(French)
Overall: 401.3 x 114.3 cm (158 x 45 in.)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Derek Ostergard 1998.419
Location: Not on view
Description
When this luxurious French silk was hung as a curtain in a New York City penthouse apartment overlooking Greenwich Village in the late 1920s, it was strikingly avant garde. The linear drawing of exotic tropical vegetation is characteristic of the French Art Deco movement—highly creative Art Moderne decorative work that relied upon the luxury trades for its production for some thirty years (about 1910 to 1940). This silk was designed about 1927 by the prominent Art Deco designer, Paul Rodier, who was renowned for his technical knowledge of textiles, which he used to achieve rich textures. In this reversible fabric, the nobly tangerine-copper silk pattern contrasts with the shimmering golden silk ground, creating a lively, opulent effect.- {{cite web|title=Silk Curtain Fabric Depicting Tropical Vegetation|url=false|author=Paul Rodier|year=c.1927|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1998.419