Spiky, entwined stems form dense vertical channels through Marguerite, holding repeating floral heads and delicate nodding sprigs in a structured, architectural stripe. Sourced from a c. 1904 linen damask finger towel (vingerdoek) in the Rijksmuseum, the design translates a square table-linen border into a continuous vertical repeat—letting the thorny graphic vine carry a room's height while small isolated sprigs dot the open ground between columns.
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The Source
Linen manufacturers at the turn of the twentieth century actively recruited decorative artists to elevate industrial tableware, bringing modern graphic design straight to the dinner table. Moving away from heavy 19th-century historicism, Dutch artists embraced Art Nouveau, capturing organic forms through flat, geometric stylization suited to mechanical production.
Cornelis van der Sluys designed Marguerite—Design No. 500—for E.J.F. van Dissel & Zonen of Eindhoven, early in his career. Woven as a complete table service, this finger towel belongs to a set comprising eleven others, thirteen napkins, and a tablecloth. All carried the same motif: large daisy heads caught in a tangle of spined, sinuous vines, their blossoms massed heavily along the borders.
The original was entirely white-on-white. Linen damask creates its pattern solely by turning the weave structure against itself—so the daisies appeared only where light grazed the satiny warp floats, vanishing as the viewer moved. Cupboards of this white linen, carrying their subtle shadow-play of figures and patterns, were the pride of the woman of the house.
Translating a square, border-bound napkin into a continuous, room-scale repeat meant extracting the outer thorn-and-blossom vine and aligning it into a vertical stripe.
The service entered the Rijksmuseum in 1979 as a gift of J.E. van Schendel-Reesink.
The Specifications
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Source: Vingerdoek van linnendamast met dessin Marguerite, c. 1904, Dutch. Designed by Cornelis van der Sluys for E.J.F. van Dissel & Zonen, Eindhoven. Linen, damask weave, 42 × 40 cm. Rijksmuseum, accession BK-1979-257-B (Gift of J.E. van Schendel-Reesink, 1979)
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Related holdings: Damask woven to Dessin Marguerite (Design No. 500, c. 1903–1904), E.J.F. van Dissel & Zonen, TextielMuseum, Tilburg
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References: Rijksmuseum object record BK-1979-257-B. Schitterend. Damast en Glas, van Klassiek tot Art Deco, TextielMuseum, Tilburg. Sanny de Zoete, Artistic Linen Damask from Brabant 1900–1960 (2020)
The Cloth
Decor Chenille
A short, dense pile with a velvet-like surface on a firm woven ground. Fine striations catch the light as it moves across the room, deepening the colour. Substantial weight keeps a clean line on upholstery and gives tailored drapery a decisive fall.
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Composition: 100% polyester
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Width: 56 in printable (57 in full)
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Weight: 400 gsm
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For: Upholstery, cushions, headboards, heavy drapery
Cotton Linen
A fine, even linen-cotton weave. Colour prints cleanly while the woven surface remains visible, keeping solid grounds from going flat without softening fine linework. Light in the hand, it falls in narrow, supple folds and filters light rather than blocking it.
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Composition: 55% linen, 45% cotton
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Width: 54 in printable
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Weight: 250 gsm
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For: Upholstery, curtains, table linens, pillows
