| |
The cashmere shwal was discovered by English Iadies at the end of the 18th century, at a time a magical Oriental influence was visible in European fashion and art. Napoleon`s soldiers, returning home from the campaign in Egypt, introduced the fashion in France. The shawl was a popular wedding present and Napoleon`s gifts to his second wife, Marie-Louise, included 17 shawls : " Many of he aristocratic ladies who formed part of the lmperial couple`s wedding procession in 1810, had a cashmere shawl carefully folded over one arm as they progressed though the Great Gallery of the Louvre." Monique Levi-Strauss, who studied for a degree in Science in Boston., is a fervent collector and expert on cashmere shawls, which she has classified accurately in chronological order. For the past four years she has been working for the direction des Musees Nationaux in France. ISBN: 81-85822-91-3
|
| |
|