ENGLISH CREWEL WORK 'STUART' PATTERN PANELS, BY ARTHUR H LEE & SONS, BIRKENHEAD
DATED 1950
£504
Auction: Lots 329 - 512 | 14 November 2024 at 10am
Description
hand-embroidered in coloured wools on a fawn brocade ground, one with all over foliate design of sprays of foliage with figures and animals, in shades of green, pink, orange, green, yellow, blue, and purple, selvedges to sides, manufacturer's card label stitched through two eyelets to one corner, bearing company monogram and giving ink inscription ‘Piece No.189 Stuart/910’ and typed information to the back: ‘1950.Emb: Stuart, A curtain based on the separate motifs of the Charles II period. Very rich in detail and design the motifs became almost symbolical of Royalists and occur again and again during the time of the Stuarts'; another corner panel, and a cushion (3)
Dimensions
the larger panel 295cm long, 126cm wide; the smaller panel 150cm long, 126cm wide; the cushion 86cm long, 36cm wide
Footnote
Note: An important textile designer and manufacturer Arthur H. Lee (1853-1932) founded his prestigious family firm in Bolton in 1888, subsequently building a factory in Birkenhead in 1908. The company continued throughout the 20th century under the direction of Arthur's three sons and five grandsons before closing in 1970. The American branch of the firm, Lee Jofa, is still in existence in New York. As well as developing innovative methods of weaving tapestry cloths, and producing high-quality hand-blocked fabrics, Lee is particularly known for his revival of the practise of hand-crafted needlepoint and crewelwork. These large embroidered panels were most likely sample pieces, and never used.