6 late XIXth Century Jacquard, damask linen napkins with blood red borders - Napkin - 65 cm - 68 cm

A Set of Six Napoleon III Jacquard Damask Linen Napkins – With the Iconic Blood-Red Border

This is a particularly attractive set of six Napoleon III Jacquard damask linen napkins, distinguished by their characteristic blood-red borders and an elegant design of open petunia flowers intertwined with leaves. Originally part of a complete set of twelve, I have divided the collection into two lots of six, making these beautiful antique napkins more accessible to today's collectors and lovers of fine French table linen. Should you wish to acquire the original set in its entirety, the other six napkins are also available in this auction.

The Napoleon III style of damask weaving emerged in France during the latter part of the 19th century and rapidly became the height of fashion. French households eagerly embraced this distinctive look for their breakfast and luncheon tables, and demand for the newly fashionable linen was so great that the weavers could scarcely keep pace.

By the 1920s, however, tastes were beginning to change. Checks and stripes were introduced in an attempt to offer something new, although these designs never quite achieved the same enduring appeal.

Today, the Napoleon III style is enjoying a renewed appreciation. Once again, its unmistakable blood-red borders and richly patterned damask are finding their way onto beautifully laid tables. Many of these precious pieces had been carefully returned to the traditional French wedding armoires, where they were kept safely for another occasion. Fine linen represented a considerable investment in those days, and it was customary to preserve it with great care.

Now, after decades spent in storage, these napkins are ready to see the light of day once more and begin a second life on a beautifully dressed table.

The Napoleon III style is instantly recognisable by its deep, blood-red borders, into which a variety of decorative motifs were woven. This particular set features the charming image of open petunia flowers intertwined with leaves, creating a design that is both elegant and unmistakably French.

Being Jacquard-woven, the pattern is reversible, allowing the napkins to be used on either side. Interestingly, turning them over produces an even more pronounced blood-red effect, offering two subtly different presentations from the same piece of linen.

These napkins have not been embroidered with initials, which gives them a simple, unadorned elegance. There may have been several reasons for this. Perhaps the bride had not yet found the time to complete the monogramming before her wedding, or the women of both families, including sisters in convents who often contributed to the preparation of a bridal trousseau, had not yet finished their work. In other circumstances, a wedding may have been interrupted by the tragedy of war, leaving the intended trousseau unfinished.

Whatever their original story, these lovely Napoleon III napkins have survived as a fine example of traditional French table linen, preserving the distinctive character of a period when even the breakfast table was dressed with care and elegance.