This handsome embroidered stole follows the format of fashionable Kashmiri examples – a long rectangular shape decorated each end with a broad decorative border. It was probably made in Lyon, the centre of the French silk weaving industry that had, like its English counterpart in Spitalfields, had to diversify from the now old-fashioned ornate woven silks for which they were famed to the luxurious shawls and stoles that were shown to advantage worn with popular plain muslin and silk dresses.

The silk twill ground has striped selvedges. Each broad border is embroidered in silk, with additional chenille thread to provide some texture. The small simple formulaic flowers and foliage at the top and bottom contrast with the complex rendering of the coconut palms (that may originally have had some significance) and the large, carefully shaded exotic flowers. Such high quality style and workmanship can be attributed to professional designers such as the renowned Jean-François Bony who, as co-founder and owner of a Lyon silk company designed embroidery for the top ranks of French Society, including Queen Marie-Antoinette, the Emperor Napoleon and Empress Josephine.

Unfortunately, at some point in the past, the stole has been stored in damp conditions, causing the dyes of the embroidery silks to bleed into the ground. A photograph of the reverse of the embroidery is included in Additional Images.