RARE SILK EMBROIDERED PICTURE: THE OLD TESTAMENT STORY OF RACHEL, JACOB AND LEAH, AMY ANN TILLINGHAST, ATTRIBUTED TO THE MARY BALCH SCHOOL, PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, CIRCA 1810

painted and embroidered in silk threads and chenille, embellished with silver beads and threads. Retains label: Peter Grinnell and Son, Main-Street Providence, Opposite the Providence Bank.  The label is inscribed, Amy Ann Tillinghast and $12.50, the cost for the reverse-painted glass and frame. 

Amy Finkel, M. Finkel and Daughter, Philadelphia, November 2004

For more information and related examples, see Betty Ring, Let Virtue Be a Guide to Thee: Needlework in the Education of Rhode Island Women, 1730 – 1830, figs. 100, 102, and 103.
Amy's older sister, Mary also attended the Balch School where in 1796 she worked a fine sampler which is published in Girlhood Embroidery, Vol. I, fig. 205.

Some abrasions to the paint surface. Black glass mat replaced, but original giltwood frame.
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.

Amy Tillinghast was born April 27, 1790 to Mary (Earle) and Joseph Tillinghast, a shipmaster, shipbuilder and merchant in Providence.  Both of Amy's parents were from early, prominent Rhode Island families.  Her older sister, Mary also attended the Balch School where in 1796 she worked a fine sampler which is published in Girlhood Embroidery, Vol. I, fig. 205.

Students of the Balch School worked many more mourning silk embroideries than Biblical or allegorical embroideries.  For more information and related examples, see Betty Ring, Let Virtue Be a Guide to Thee: Needlework in the Education of Rhode Island Women, 1730 – 1830, figs. 100, 102, and 103.

The Tillinghast silk embroidery is in its fine original frame which retains its original Peter Grinnell and Son label.  For more information about Peter Grinnell, see Betty Ring, The Magazine Antiques, January, 1980.

Genealogical information about the Tillinghast family will accompany this lot.