These lovely wooden vintage industrial shuttles and bobbins where used to weave fabric and ribbon silk jacquard and come from a ribbon factory in the Lyon region of France. Lyon was particularly associated with the manufacturing of silk ribbons as this was a traditional area of silk manufacture. This industry played an important role in the economy and by the 19th C Lyon had 310 silk factories not only exporting their goods to America and England but also India and even China.
These industrial beauties with their aquiline and graceful profiles are made from a blond wood and many of them, over time have developed a wonderful patina through being handled and used.
Complementing the bobbins and shuttles are these original ribbon patterns. These works of art are hand painted in gouache and show just a small variety of the colours and patterns that would have been manufactured. They come from the mid to late 1800's with hand written notes on the back in French. The penmanship is exquisite with many of them including the designers signature and the date it was designed. These pieces are magnificent mementos of a bygone era.
