Carriage Cushion Cover (The Annunciation)

Location: Sweden, Scania, Torna district

Materials: dove-tail tapestry

Dimensions: 53 x 110 cm

Accession Number: SW 74

Other Notes:

Here, in one of the most extraordinary examples of the Annunciation design, the depiction is reminiscent of tapestries from the 17th century. Yet the detailing of the individual flowers in the background and their flowing lines, while again more naturalistic, are in keeping with the traditional Scanian pattern. The type of leaf stem forming the wreaths enclosing the scenes (which also appears in SW 66) is rare. The fine quality of design and weave suggests that it might have been made by a professional weaver, as a special commission for an urban or middle-class home.

Bibliography:

V. Hansen, Swedish Textile Art: Traditional Marriage Weavings from Scania: The Khalili Collection, London 1996, cat. 4, pp.28, 30–1.