Hanging, Bed

Object Name:

Hanging, Bed

Object ID:

1977.034.06

Place of Origin:

England

Date:

1675-1725

Description:

Bed Hanging. Crewel embroidery on cotton/linen; three panels mounted on cotton; 32" x 39.5" overall. Colors include shades of blue, green, red, brown, and yellow on beige. Mid-late 1700s, possibly Kingston, NH area.

Fragment of crewelwork bed curtain(s), English. The embroidery is worked on linen/cotton twill-woven fustian, which is typical of English crewelwork, not American (which was worked on plain-woven linen). The crewel (worsted) design is typical of the late 17th and early 18th century, with heavy, curving trunks sprouting a variety of stylized leaves and flowers. The crewel colors are shades of pink, blue, bluish green (probably originally green, gold, and cream. Stitches include surface satin (American crewelwork would employ a laid stitch, so this is another indication of English work), French knots, outline, long and short, and various filling stitches. The white and pink flowers which are worked with the filling stitches are modeled after lace designs of the 17th and 18th centuries; similar filling patterns can be seen in queensware ceramics and other forms of decorative arts. This panel is constructed of two separate pieces that have been seamed together, as evidenced by the discontinuous motifs along the seam. The panel has been stitched to a modern backing.

Material:

Textile
Cotton
Linen

Dimensions:

W-40 L-42 inches

Credit Line:

Gift of Charles L. and Jane Kaufmann