ANNE WANNER'S Textiles in History   /  book reviews, articles
 
  Berliner Goldsticker im friderizianischen Rokoko, by Uta-Christiane Bergemann, in: Jahrbuch 1999/2000, Stiftung Preussische Schlösser und Gärten Berlin-Brandenburg, p. 33 - 64, Berlin 2002, 6 b/w photos (No 1-6), 8 colour pictures (table 8-15), in german

ISBN 3-05-003716-4, Akademie Verlag GmbH, Berlin 2002

see also:
Bestandskatalog der Kunstsammlungen der Stiftung Preussische Schlosser und Garten Berlin-Brandenburg, Berlin 2000
     
 
 

coat of arms in gold embroidery for throne,
by Mathias Immanuel Heynitschek,
Berlin around 1750

uniform, Berlin around 1785,
Deutsches Hist. Mus. Berlin, Inv.Nr. U 59.5
 
  During the reign of Frederik 2nd of Prussia, textiles with gold and silver embroidery played an important role. They served as a visual demonstration of might of the new Prussian Monarchy.
Only the members of the court and noblemen were allowed to wear gold embroideries. This precious ornamentation were used on representative objects like coaches, thrones, saddles and harnesses. In the rooms embroideries were used for wall tapestries, on furniture, beds, table cloths and so on.

In this present article, Ute Christiane Bergemann deals with some very interesting documents on gold embroidery. She found several sources where names of gold embroiderers are mentioned. In two descriptions by contemporary authors gold embroiderers are named as well:
- Peter Nathanael Sprenger in: "Handwerke und Künste in Tabellen" of 1769.
- Johann Carl Gottfried Jacobsen in: "Schauplatz der Zeugmanufakturen in Deutschland" of 1775.

Other important documents are the Berlin Address books. In the years from 1746 to 1784 there exists a rubric with exceptionally important addresses. Moreso there are the inventories of castles and the account books of the court.
In the Berlin address books 6 workshops are named and 2 of them worked exclusively for the court. The first workshop was run by the huguenot family Pailly, three generations of them were gold embroiderers: Elie Paillie (1664-1751), his sons Etienne (1703-1778) and Jean Pailly (1710-1751) and Jeans son Gabriel Guillaume Pailly /1741-1788).
The second workshop working for Frederik 2nd was run by Mathias Immanuel Heynitschek (1708-1772). In 1741 the king had asked him to come from Bayreuth to Berlin. In 1774 Joseph Genelli from Copenhague took his place.

Other workshops in Berlin which delivered mainly for noblemen were:
Henning Brandt, Ernst Langn, Jean Paveret, Pierre Paveret (also a huguenot family which came in the end of 17th c. from Paris to Berlin, there were several generations of embroiderers), Johan Steffan Hoffmann, Johan Gerhart Uhlender and the Jewish embroiderer Salomon Isaak.
Names of gold embroiderers can also be found in contracts. It is known that Gottfried Guthman employed up to 30 persons in his workshop. In 1744 he made the wedding dress in gold and silver embroidery of the Prussian Princess Ulrike.

Other gold embroiderers were: Johann Andreas Barth, Johann Christian Barth, Christian Grand, Johann Friedrich Kolbe, Christian Wilhelm Kolbe, Johann Heinrich Ranspach, Carl Friedeberg, Frantz Friedrich Puppach, George Gottlieb Discher, Andreas Fehrmann, Hurlin, Carl Ludewig Morisson, ans Jean Barez from Amsterdam is found in Berlin since 1724.
A Berlin Manufactory founded by the merchant Roitzsch was working since 1774. He came from Saxony and he employed 70 to 80 embroideresses. He mainly delivered gold and silver embroidery for dresses.

The gold and silver threads were delivered by the Berlin Gold and Silver manufactory at Wilhelmsplatz in Berlin. This enterprise employed more than 800 workmen.
 
   
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