A pair of late 17th century crewelwork hangings, English, circa 1690-1710
REF: 3091
Each designed with a meandering 'tree of life' abundant with various exotic flowers and foliage, sprouting from a grassy flower-strewn hilly landscape, worked in coloured worsted wools on linen twill ground, (parts original), with historical repairs throughout, the larger hanging 234cm high, 120cm wide
It is common to find crewelwork of the 17th and early 18th centuries has been historically re-applied to a replacement backing. This was necessitated by the excessive pressure and consequent wear the wool embroidery imposed on the ground, which was traditionally a soft cotton and linen twill weave unsuitable for supporting the intrinsically heavy nature of the wool. This replacement ground is often itself of considerable age, having been required within a century or so of the original making of the item. The frequency with which these charming textiles are found to be re-applied is testimony to the high regard in which they were held by successive generations
- Height 225 cm / 88 "
- Width 112 cm / 44 1⁄4"
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