Object Search Record
Images
Additional Images [8]
Metadata
Catalog Number |
1976.1.3013ab |
Object Name |
Tapestry |
Date |
1400s |
Description |
A 15th century woven tapestry picturing a man and woman in a garden. There is a border of leaves and flowers and an outer border of red. Colors of red, blue, brown. About 75% of the area is faded to brown. The whole piece is backed with coarse linen or canvas which may not be original. In the Blithewold wooden album (circa 1910), Bessie describes this as: "Tapestry panel, Italian fifteenth century. The subject illustrates the lines in Dante's story of Paolo and Francesca da Rimini "And in the book no more they read that day." Border of fruits and flowers. The panel formed part of a series of tapestries in the Borghese Palace, Rome, representing scenes from Dante. Panel was latterly owned by J. Godfrey Leland, the American poet." Construction: The face of this textile is tapestry woven (weft-faced plain weave with discontinuous wefts), with areas of slit tapestry technique (mostly in the horizontal border areas). The slit tapestry edges are joined with hand-stitched seams worked in fine silk and cotton threads. The tapestry is backed with undyed, plain weave linen. This backing panel has a single center vertical seam; edges of the panel are turned to the inside and whip-stitched to the tapestry face. Two of the original seven brass hanging rings are stitched along the upper edge. Remnants of tacking stitches worked in a diamond grid pattern are visible on the reverse. The object is entirely hand-stitched. A watercolor painting of this tapestry, by Samuel Dean, is ina wooden album belonging to Bessie McKee. |
Materials |
Wool |
Condition |
Good |
Associated with |
Bessie Pardee Van Wickle McKee Dean, Samuel |
Search Terms |
Tapestry |
Catalog Sub-category |
Art |