Fragment (Mattress Cover)
Medium
Silk embroidery on plain cream-colored cotton cloth. Stitch: Holbein stitch over three threads
Dimensions
31.8 × 35.6 cm (12 1/2 × 14 in.)
Classification
textile
Department
Textiles
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
28963
Art Historical Context
This delicate fragment, once part of a mattress cover, showcases the artistry of anonymous needleworkers through its silk embroidery on a plain cream-colored cotton cloth. Measuring just 31.8 × 35.6 cm (12½ × 14 in.), it survives as a testament to everyday luxury in domestic life, likely from a period when hand-stitched textiles adorned beds and furnishings for the home. The standout feature is the Holbein stitch, a precise counted-thread technique worked over three threads of the cotton ground. This double-running stitch creates bold, reversible patterns that appear identical on both sides, ...
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...