10 finest linen damask serviettes with handembroidered monogrammes, c. 1870, from a château in Maine-et-Loire

These remarkable serviettes come from a place I know very well, the home of my landlords, deep in the wine-grape region of Maine-et-Loire. Their house, which we know as The Château even though it is really an enormous mansion, was constructed from the end of the 18th to the mid-19th century, on the site of a much older château which dated from the 12th century, made of the local white stone and with turrets and buttresses; but the original château burnt down in the 18th century, during the Revolution, although I am told its demise had nothing to do with insurgency and everything to do with misadventure.

The land was sold after the original château burnt down, and the ancestor of today’s owners bought it, planted some cypress trees on the burn site, and constructed the current building. This building has been in the same family ever since, it is a magnificent structure with painted rooms and halls leading to ballrooms and winding enormous staircases. But is is a living house, and several generations of the family have had not much use for damask table-linen, as the house no longer has its twelve serving staff, its working farm, or indeed that many people to sit down to dinner. Its current state is a comfortable, slightly ramshackle, enormous family home with a huge park attached. The roof needs fixing. The heating is a little bit too much. There are no longer horses in the stables or wine in the cellars. And most of the very valuable pieces have gone to help the upkeep. But in a cupboard at the top corner of the house were the last of the linens. ‘In my grandmother’s day, everything was perfect’ - but times change, needs change, and here is some of the last of those linens.

This is a set of 10 finest linen damask serviettes, dating from the heyday of this house, around 1860-70. The beautiful monogrammes on each are examples of the exquisite embroidery of this part of the Loire Valley and the neighbouring Touraine. Each huge serviette has been carefully and minutely hemmed with invisible hand-stitches. I am presenting them as is - starched and folded carefully. I have unfolded every single one to check for damage, there are no holes or tears, there are two or three that exhibit slight thinning in small patches but this is finest quality linen damask and for their age, they are superb. As I was unfolding them, a note fell out stating that these were last washed and starched in 1983, so they have sat in a cupboard untouched for almost 40 years. There is some storage discolouration which should come out, this is caused by the interaction of oxygen with the gases of the wood in the cupboard where these were stored, and with the potato starch. I have not washed them because I do not have the facilities to deal with these properly, this is work for a professional laundry specialising in these sorts of linens, or for someone who wants to do it themselves as a labour of love (I can talk you through it if you want to do it yourself!). The price reflects this.

Each of these is 79x98cm, again the size reflects the age and the wealth of the owners.

Please click on the photos to open them up full-sized.

To discuss purchase, please contact me.