Side by side
Damask vs Brocade
Damask and brocade are the two great figured silks, and the difference is what makes the figure. Damask is one set of threads playing two finishes against each other: a satin figure on a sateen ground in a single color, visible only as the light moves. Brocade adds material: supplementary weft threads, often gold, woven in to sit on the cloth like low relief. Damask whispers its pattern; brocade builds it.
Damask
No. 048jacquard, satin figure on sateen ground · first documented Middle Ages
Brocade
No. 062jacquard, supplementary weft figures · first documented Middle Ages
The differences
| Aspect | Damask | Brocade |
|---|---|---|
| How the figure is made | Contrast of weave finishes in one set of threads. | Extra (supplementary) wefts added just for the figures. |
| Color | Classically one color, tone on tone. | Multicolor, frequently with metallic gold or silver. |
| Reverse side | The figure reverses cleanly (negative of the face). | Floats of the extra wefts cross the back. |
| Hand | Flat, supple, reversible in effect. | Heavier, stiffer, with raised figures you can feel. |
| Register | Tablecloths, wallpaper, quiet formality. | Vestments, thrones, eveningwear, loud formality. |
Which to choose
Tip the cloth in the light. If the pattern appears and disappears in one color, it is damask. If the figures sit raised on the surface in their own colors or in gold, it is brocade. Upholsterers reach for damask; costume designers for brocade.
Common questions
- Can a fabric be both damask and brocade?
- The trades blur at the edges: a damask ground can carry brocaded figures, and such cloths are usually sold as brocade because added supplementary threads are the costlier, showier feature. Strictly, damask names the one-set tone-on-tone technique and brocade the added-weft technique.
- Why does brocade have loose threads on the back?
- The supplementary wefts that form the figures only show on the face where the design needs them; between figures they float across the reverse. Quality brocades bind or trim these floats, but their presence is the fingerprint of the technique.