Norwich Shawl by Clabburn

When I saw this lovely shawl online, I realised that the dealer was living quite nearby, in the next village over, so to speak.....it was an expensive item, so we arranged to meet in

Woodbridge so that I could examine the shawl.

 

The dealer used to have a shop in Norwich, so knows these shawls well. She now sells mostly on Etsy....

After a discussion, including the various ins and outs of the trade and other dealers, I made a quick trip to the building society...

 

The Shawl is a beautiful one, and as its made from silk, changes colours, with a cast of purple..

 

The silk fringe is in perfect condition and the shawl has only a few small plucks...

There is a lot of information about the Norwich shawls in these two books, but no illustration that matches this shawl..

 

The shawl is unclipped, and so is not really reversible, as some are...

 

After a lot of thought, I decided to wear the shawl to Sophie's wedding....it seems to have come to no harm.....

I appreciated the shawl, even if no one else noticed it ...well, we can't all be textile experts, can we?
Dating from about 1860, the shawl is an amazing survivor....

A Norwich Shawl in Pinks and Browns

Here is an antique shawl in muted pinks and browns with a pink fringe. It is the same as one illustrated in the book Norwich Shawls, so we can safely say that it is a Norwich shawl by Clabburn.

Item 56 on page 93: Jacquard Zebra Shawl 1860s by Clabburn Sons & Crisp. "The horizontal stripe unit in this shawl is 14cm and is made up of two patterns. They include circles and serpentine motifs with almost indistinguishable tiny pines scattered through. The shawl is very faded giving an attractive pink/brown effect." 

These shawls were known as zebra shawls and were produced about 1860-1870, at the end of the shawls' popularity. Perhaps this is why these are found in better condition, they were discarded and not worn when fashions changed almost overnight.

These shawls were woven on looms and were an expensive purchase. They were made from silk or silk and wool mixtures, so were worn for special occasions - not everyday...

I love the muted colors and the intricate designs...

In comparison to quilts, there are only a few books about antique shawls - here we see that catalogue for the exhibition of Norwich shawls held at Norwich cathedral held last year, and also a book put out by Norwich Museum Services...it would be nice to know more....and perhaps I should book a visit to Norwich to meet the shawl/textile experts there....