Needlepoint valance (one of three)
Unknown Artist
1604
Medium
Silk and metal thread on canvas
Dimensions
H. 9 3/4 x L. 79 1/2 inches (24.8 x 201.9 cm)
Classification
Textiles-Embroidered
Culture
Swiss
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Irwin Untermyer, 1964
Accession Number
64.101.1396
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite needlepoint valance, crafted in Switzerland in 1604, is one of a rare surviving set of three embroidered textiles designed to adorn the top edge of a bed canopy or window. Measuring nearly 6.5 feet long but only about 10 inches high, showcases the opulence of early 17th-century domestic interiors among the elite. Woven with luxurious silk and shimmering metal threads on a canvas ground, the piece exemplifies the meticulous tent stitch technique of needlepoint, where thousands of tiny stitches create vivid, durable patterns that could withstand daily use. The imagery draws from ...