Lot 1058
  • 1058

A VERY RARE ENGLISH WOOL AND LINEN REDWORK PICTURE, MID-17TH CENTURY |

Estimate
5,000 - 8,000 USD
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Description

  • Height with frame 16 in. by Width 22 in.; 40.6 by 55.9 cm.
worked in outline, seed, and other stitches, in a carved giltwood frame; depicting Moses being rescued from the Nile; border inscribed Pharoth dauther walking by the watter sid seeth moises in the bulrushes commaundeth him to be teaken up and sendeth for a nurs to nurs him; the back with a Milwaukee Art Museum exhibition label

Provenance

Sir Frederick Henry Richmond, Bt (1873-1953);
Christie's South Kensington, An Important Collection of Needlework, June 23, 1987, lot 145;
Katherine Christophers, King's Mill, Painswick, Gloucestershire, 1987;
Vogel Collection no. 479.

Exhibited

London, Lansdowne House, English Decorative Art, 1929, cat. no. 283
Milwaukee Art Museum, Early Needlework Exhibition, October 14, 1988 - January 1, 1989

Condition

Scattered restorations to linen canvas and re-stitching. Fading and discolouration to threads and linen, but still a good shade of red. Frame with minor rubbing and losses to gilding. Good condition overall and pleasing subject in rare medium.
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

Monochrome redwork pictures are extremely rare, though a few related examples depicting Old Testament scenes have survived.  A similar work relating the story of Abraham and Hagar also with embroidered text running across the top and bottom is in the Royal Museum of Scotland (A.1958.85; see Margaret Swain, Embroidered Stuart Pictures, 1990, p. 8), and a virtually identical version to this was formerly with Cora Ginsburg, New York (2006 Catalogue).  Further comparable pictures include a pair of scenes from the life of King Solomon formerly with Mallett, London (one ill. Lanto Synge, Art of Embroidery, Woodbridge, Suffolk 2001, p.142 fig.136).  The similar composition, stylised figures, and flora, and use of shading in all of these examples suggest they were based on a common source of woodcut prints.

The Richmond Collection was one of the finest collections of English needlework assembled in the 20th Century, started in 1907 by Sir Frederick Richmond, the chairman of Harvey Nichols and Debenhams department stores. Among other treasures, it included the purse that had belonged to Admiral Sir William Penn, father of the founder of Pennsylvania. On his death, the collection was divided between his two children and gradually sold in a series of auctions in London at Christie's in 1987 and 2001 and at Bonhams in 2011.