Arkivism
Panel with images of four women
CC0 · no rights reserved

Panel with images of four women

Unknown · 1610–40 · Medium: silk and metal-wrapped silk-core threads Technique: supplementary warp pile (velvet) in a 4&1 satin weave foundation with three warps in each pile warp unit; use of pile warp substitution; use of supplementary facing wefts bound in 1Z4 twill order; use of looped discontinuous supplementary wefts bound in 2Z3 twill order Label: silk velvet with metallic facing wefts

From the collection of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.

About this work

Horizontal rectangular panel with a gold metallic ground and polychrome silk velvet figures of four women separated by large flowering plants. From left to right: a woman holding a long-necked jar in one hand while the other holds up her skirt, in which she has gathered fruits; a woman holding a pitcher in one hand and cradling a large bowl or basin in the other; a woman wearing gloves, holding a bird of prey in her left hand while about to hood the bird with her right; a woman with a long stick with which she is prodding a hound held by a lead in her right hand; the hound is straining the lead. Two of the flowering plants grow at the edge of ponds, one rests on a cloud form and the other grows among the rocks. The iris, carnation, and poppy are recognizable. Clouds and butterflies dot the sky. In shades of blue, green, yellow, reds, and neutral and flesh tones on a gold metallic ground. Slightly more than one unit of the repeat is present; the pattern fills the width of the fabric and is oriented perpendicular to the warp.

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum’s own description
Subjects
Textiles
Credit linePanel with images of four women. 1610–40. Unknown. Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, Gift of Anonymous Donor. CC0.

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