- 226
Exceptional Needlework Coat of Arms, The Name of Grafton, Boston, Massachusetts, 1747
Estimate
7,000 - 9,000 USD
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Description
- Silk and wool
- 17 1/4 by 17 1/4 inches (sight dimensions 13 inches square)
Provenance
Northeast Auctions, Manchester, New Hampshire, November 8, 1992, lot 497;
Stephen and Carol Huber, Old Saybrook, Connecticut;
Sotheby's, New York, Highly Important Americana from the Stanley Paul Sax Collection, January 16 and 17, 1998, sale 7078, lot 263.
Stephen and Carol Huber, Old Saybrook, Connecticut;
Sotheby's, New York, Highly Important Americana from the Stanley Paul Sax Collection, January 16 and 17, 1998, sale 7078, lot 263.
Literature
Betty Ring, Girlhood Embroidery, Vol. I, p. 278, fig. 307
Stephen and Carol Huber, 1991 Sampler Engagement Calendar, fig. 42
Stephen and Carol Huber, 1991 Sampler Engagement Calendar, fig. 42
Condition
Some discoloration and darkening. Some small losses to embroidery to expose foundation. Empty patches (not stiched) to left of lions head, knees, and right corner. Two slight non-stitched areas below bord at top.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
This is the only dated example among six early pieces with patterns in the style of Boston's heraldic artist Thomas Johnston (1708-1767), and the pattern was evidently drawn by him or copied from a Johnston painting, and worked at a Boston boarding school. For a related embroidered arms and a painted arms by Johnston see Betty Ring, "Heraldic Embroidery in eighteenth-century Boston," Antiques, April 1992, pp. 624, 626, figs. 2 and 3. This coat of arms is attributed to a daughter of William Parker (1703-1791) and Elizabeth Grafton (1728-1750) of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Most likely worked by the eldest daughter, Zerviah (1728-1750) who married William Earl Treadwell and died aged twenty-two; or perhaps by daughter Elizabeth (1734-1814). With the maker's canvaswork hunting scene (lot 254), this descended in the family of the youngest daughter, Sarah Parker (1746-1 837) who married Christopher Toppan (1735- 1818) of Hampton, New Hampshire.