CultureEnglish
Titles
- Bed Valance (back hanging)
Datec. 1740
Made inEngland
MediumCotton twill, wool
Dimensions63 × 50 in. (160 × 127 cm)
Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, gift of Miss Ima Hogg
Object numberB.56.183.4
Current LocationBayou Bend Collection and Gardens
Queen Anne Bedroom
On view
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DescriptionThe bed hangings are embroidered with crewelwork, which is done with distinctive, two-ply, loosely twisted woolen yarns known as "crewel wool." This wool crewelwork has a cotton twill foundation. Traditionally, crewelwork was framed or fashioned into apparel, furniture coverings, or bed hangings, as shown here. It is characterized by having a more free-hand style than other types of embroidery. The creation of crewelwork particularly flourished in 16th- to 18th-century Europe and the American colonies, with designs inspired by textiles from India and the Middle East and styled into floral and scroll patterns. These bed hangings look to have been done by at least two different needleworkers, as it the works show varying skills.
Provenance[J. A. Lloyd Hyde (d. 1981) and Amos W. Shepard (d. 2009), New York]; purchased by Miss Ima Hogg, November 19, 1956; given to MFAH, by 1966.
Cataloguing data may change with further research.
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