Needlework Bed Hanging in the Bizarre style (left half)
Unknown Artist
1710–20
Medium
Silk, wool; needlework, tent, and cross-stitch embroidery on canvas
Dimensions
w. 83.2 cm, l. 279.3 cm
Classification
Embroidery
Department
Textiles
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
Accession Number
2006.2.1
About this artwork
This panel is one of a pair that would have hung originally around a bed post as part of a full set of hangings on a bedstead in the early 1700s. Elaborate textile hangings were a conspicuous display of wealth since many ladies received their friends within their bedchamber. A full set enveloped the entire bedstead and, when closed, helped retain warmth long after the fire had gone out. This particular pair of panels is remarkable in that they represent many hours of highly skilled needlework. T...