Here at EGA headquarters, we often get questions like this: “I have this piece of embroidery I found in Grandma’s attic/a box at an estate sale/a dumpster – what is it?”
Many times I know the answer but many times I do not. I’m going to start posting some of these difficult cases here on the blog. If you have any ideas please post them in the comments.
This piece was brought in by a local man who bought it at an auction. He doesn’t have any information about who made it or where it came from. It’s red silk velvet with a wide border of couched gold thread in paisley designs. It measures 68 inches across at its widest point and is about 50 inches long.
A piece of muslin has been basted onto the back but this seems to have been done after the piece was made. The fabric is clean and the embroidery is in great shape. This surprises me because the stithing is so heavy in relation to the velvet. Above is a detail of the couched band and below is the turned-under edge.
So there you have it, stitching sleuths. Please comment with questions or hypotheses; I’m looking forward to hearing from you.
2 Comments
My guess is that it is a curtain valance from a Victorian era home. It could also be a theatre fall–part of the main curtain. Another possibility is the drop from a Victorian era table covering.
Wish I could see the embroidery closer.
I have a similar piece, gold on blue velvet. A long rectangle that was used as an altar cloth. Perhaps the piece you showed had been used in a church.