Pole Screen
1750-1780 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Pole screens became popular from the 1740s and often, as here, carried panels of embroidery, which might be the work of women at home, mounted and set up in a frame by a cabinet-maker. The adjustable screens allowed women to sit close to the fire for warmth, while protecting their faces from the heat of the fire. Small screens were also sometimes incorporated into tables for needlework.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Turned and carved mahogany, embroidery |
| Brief description | A pole screen in mahogany, with tripod base, the arched panel set with tent-stitch embroidery showing figures in a landscape, with a woman spinning, men playing musical instruments and a pair of young lovers |
| Physical description | A pole screen in mahogany, with tripod base, the arched panel set with tent-stitch embroidery showing figures in a landscape, with a woman spinning, men playing musical instruments and a pair of young lovers. The base of the shaft is vase-shaped and spirally carved, the tripod being carved with acanthus and ending in very elongated ball and claw feet. The tripod section is covered in a very dark, thick varnish, so that it appears almost ebonized. The panel is backed with green, plain-weave silk, both this and the embroidery protected with a plastic film. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label | POLE SCREEN
Mahogany with a tapestry panel
ENGLISH; about 1760(1972) |
| Credit line | Bequeathed by Lt. Col. G. B. Croft-Lyons FSA |
| Object history | Previously on loan to the V&A before its bequest by Colonel Croft-Lyons. On loan to Shugborough Park Farm Museum, Milford, Staffordshire, 1989-2021 (Registered File 89/1678). |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Pole screens became popular from the 1740s and often, as here, carried panels of embroidery, which might be the work of women at home, mounted and set up in a frame by a cabinet-maker. The adjustable screens allowed women to sit close to the fire for warmth, while protecting their faces from the heat of the fire. Small screens were also sometimes incorporated into tables for needlework. |
| Bibliographic reference | Benn, H.P and Shapland, H.P., The Nation's Treasures. Measured Drawings of Fine Old Furniture in the Victoria and Albert Museum. London: Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & co. Ld and Benn Brothers Ltd., 1910, p. 20, pl. 34. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.60-1926 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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