Large pair antique French chateau woven muslin lace MADRAS 1890s curtains

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Time for some major autumn buying trips to France and Belgium – my armoires and shelves are looking a little empty, and need re-stocking with antique textile treasure, chateau-chic fripperies and unusual brocante finds. There are plenty of items for you to peruse whilst I am away hunting…..lots of wonderful antique fabrics, lace, convent leaves, costume, hand embroidered napkins, quilts, bedpreads and more. New items will be added each Sunday, so do keep checking back….. 

Known as "Madras Lace" this finely woven muslin was made from the mid 19th century on machines brought out to India by British and French manufacturers, and this type of woven muslin lace was used to produce curtains such as these for the European market. Thier name is taken from the Indian city where most of the woven lace was produced (now called Chennai). Like Cornely embroidered muslin curtains from the same period, they are very hard to find now, especially in good condition. I have been lucky enough to find a textile dealer whose son recently cleared the furniture from a chateau in Provence - and inside one of the armoires was a huge pile of these beautiful curtains! It will take me a while to launder and iron all the curtain panels. but I am listing two pairs this week. This is a large pair of curtains - each panel is 118cms wide (made up from 1.5 narrow loom widths carefully hand sewn together - third to last photograph) and 270cms long. They are freshly laundered and snowy white, with no marks. Apart form the odd small hole and one immaculate mend (last 2 images), these are in fabulous condition. There is a cotton lace edging to the inner edges and lower edges of both curtain panels. There is a narrow cotton header tape at the top, but it is not pleated or gathered. Absolutely stunning gossamer light curtains with beautiful woven floral motifs. They would make stunning drapes for a ciel de lit bed canopy - or for a window of course!

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I sell antique and vintage textiles and ephemera - unique items that have history, and may show signs of this - it is part of their charm. I try to describe any obvious faults as truthfully as I can. However, as most of my items are 100 years old, they will often bear the traces of a previous life. Please think carefully about bidding if you are looking for a pristine item that is as new. My passion is for beautiful antique textiles and quirky vintage items with a gently faded grandeur, so do consider this before deciding to bid.

See my other listings for more great items!

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PAYMENT

Payment to be made within 3 DAYS of auction end please. My items always end on a Sunday evening, so payment must be received by the following Wednesday evening.

Paypal ONLY for international buyers - no bank transfers.

For UK buyers I accept Paypal (preferred), personal cheques drawn on a UK bank account and uncrossed postal orders. When paying by UK cheque, please note that your item(s) cannot be sent until your cheque has cleared.

All buyers who fail to pay within my 3 day deadline, or who do not contact me to arrange for delayed payment, are automatically added to my blocked buyers list, and will not be able to buy from me again. I also automatically open an unpaid item case against non-paying buyers on the 4^th day after auction end.

SHIPPING

I am happy to ship worldwide, and always combine shipping costs on items that end on the same day. I do NOT hold over payment of items from one week to the next - all items must be paid for within 3 days of auction end.

Parcels will be sent by tracked shipping ONLY. Parcels to UK will be sent by Special Next day Delivery, Signed For, or ParcelForce 48 for heavier items.  For international destinations, parcels weighing under 2kg will be sent by Royal Mail International Tracked and Signed For, and those that weigh over 2kg. will be sent by Global Priority. Apologies for the higher costs, but this gives both buyer and seller peace of mind, and is now eBay policy.

My items are carefully packed so they reach you safely, and I charge a small fee for packaging materials – this is included in the shipping cost.

I aim to dispatch parcels to my customers within 48 hours of receiving payment.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions!

RETURNS POLICY

Returns are accepted within 14 days, but ONLY if the item has been seriously mis-described, which I try very hard not to do! BUYER pays for return TRACKED shipping. Please note that as I sell unique, antique textiles and ephemera, any item you return MUST be well packed and received in exactly the same condition as sent. NB - returns from international buyers outside the EU please note that any UK customs duty that I incur in order to retrieve a returned international parcel will be deducted from the refund amount.

If a returned item is found to have been worn, laundered, repaired or damaged in any way, thereby compromising its value, I will only make a partial refund according to the condition. Once I have received the item in return, and have verified its condition, I will refund your original payment and original shipping costs within 3 working days. 

SERVICE

I always try to offer my customers excellent service. As I am a one-woman business, I am often away seeking out interesting antique and unique items to offer you. Because of this, I am unable to offer a seamless “Amazon-like” service, with dispatch of parcels within 24 hours, and free domestic shipping. I will nevertheless strive to offer you a professional and friendly buying experience.

Please do contact me if you have any questions - I am always happy to help.

 

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