France Army Cravat
Although this has been labeled as a scarf, it served as a flag important accessory, a "cravat". From 1690 onward French military flagstaffs were decorated with a piece of white fabric resembling a scarf and with bullion fringe at either end. It was tied in a knot at the top of the staff so that the two ends hung down over the top of the flag. Other countries followed this practice and even today military flags in many parts of the world have this distinctive decoration in various colors.
Because it resembled a Croat necktie much admired by King Louis XIV, this accessory became known by the French word for Croat, cravate. This important original French flag cravat was white, the color of the royal house, and the item in this Collection may originally have been white. Its length is about right, although it is considerably wider than the typical French cravat. Also, the collection "scarf" is made of cotton whereas silk was always favored (at least in France) for flag cravats
Provenance:
* Acquired by M.H. deYoung.
* Conveyed to deYoung Museum, San Francisco, CA.
* Sold via Butterfield & Butterfield Auctions in San Francisco, CA, to the Zaricor Flag Collection, 1997.
