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Crewelwork embroidery
Cover for a chair seat
Crewelwork embroidery
American
second quarter of the 18th century
Object Place: Boston area, New England
Medium/Technique
Cotton and linen twill with wool embroidery
Dimensions
Overall: 39.4 x 45.7 cm (15 1/2 x 18 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Samuel Bradstreet
Accession Number19.603
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsAmericas, Fashion and Textiles
ClassificationsTextiles
DescriptionChair seat of cotton and linen twill (fustian) embroidered with wool (crewelwork) in design of rolling blue hills at bottom with leaves, flower, and a strawberry; small tree, blades of grass, seated stag, oak tree, flower, tree with swirled fruit (same tree motif reversed in 19.606 and 24.361), and group of three plants (same motif reversed in 19.604); two pink and red butterflies at top, polychrome bird with branch in mouth at center, and smaller bird between trees below; most of design in New England laid stitch or Roumanian couching; some small areas of satin stitch found on the swirled fruit, wings of butterflies and birds, oak leaves, and flowers; outline or stem stitch on thinner lines, such as the grids on acorn caps and the center of rose near squirrel; bullion stitch in flower center at bottom; probably fishbone stitch in pink and green leaves of three small plants at lower right; made to go with 19.67 and 19.596-610; cotton weft is vertical and linen warp is horizontal because textile was rotated 90 degrees before embroidering
ProvenanceInherited by Samuel Bradstreet; Gift to the MFA, 1919