Bed Cover
ca. 1700 (made)
Not currently on display at the V&A
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place Of Origin |
William Morris recommended the acquisition of this cover by the Museum. It shows a traditional north European design based, he believed, on a 13th century design which showed 'the abiding influence of Byzantine Art in Iceland…'
The subject is religious; reading anti-clockwise from the top left the images represent: The Sacrifice of Isaac, Moses before Pharoah, Moses with the Tablets of the Law and Christ entering Jerusalem.
The inscriptions consist of three verses composed by the magistrate Páll Vídalín, husband of the noted Icelandic embroideress, Thorbjorg Magnusdottir (1667-1737) who made this bedcover. They were married in 1696 and according to the last two lines of the third verse the wife embroidered 'the words' according to her 'husband's instructions' indicating that at least part of the cover was worked after their marriage.
The subject is religious; reading anti-clockwise from the top left the images represent: The Sacrifice of Isaac, Moses before Pharoah, Moses with the Tablets of the Law and Christ entering Jerusalem.
The inscriptions consist of three verses composed by the magistrate Páll Vídalín, husband of the noted Icelandic embroideress, Thorbjorg Magnusdottir (1667-1737) who made this bedcover. They were married in 1696 and according to the last two lines of the third verse the wife embroidered 'the words' according to her 'husband's instructions' indicating that at least part of the cover was worked after their marriage.
object details
| Categories | |
| Object Type | |
| Materials and Techniques | Wool, embroidered with wool |
| Brief Description | Embroidered bed cover by Thorbjorg Magusdottir, made in Iceland, 17th century. |
| Physical Description | Bed Cover, wool embroidered with wool in long-armed cross stitch with eyelets. The subject is religious; reading anti-clockwise from the top left the images represent: The Sacrifice of Isaac, Moses before Pharoah, Moses with the Tablets of the Law and Christ entering Jerusalem. |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | William Morris recommended the acquisition of this cover. It shows a traditional north European design based, he believed, on a 13th century design which showed 'the abiding influence of Byzantine Art in Iceland …' The inscriptions consist of three verses composed by the magistrate Páll Vídalín, husband of the noted Icelandic embroideress, Thorbjorg Magnusdottir [1667-1737] who made this bedcover. They were married in 1696 and according to the last two lines of the third verse the wife embroidered 'the words' according to her 'husband's instructions' indicating that at least part of the cover was worked after their marriage. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Literary References |
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| Summary | William Morris recommended the acquisition of this cover by the Museum. It shows a traditional north European design based, he believed, on a 13th century design which showed 'the abiding influence of Byzantine Art in Iceland…' The subject is religious; reading anti-clockwise from the top left the images represent: The Sacrifice of Isaac, Moses before Pharoah, Moses with the Tablets of the Law and Christ entering Jerusalem. The inscriptions consist of three verses composed by the magistrate Páll Vídalín, husband of the noted Icelandic embroideress, Thorbjorg Magnusdottir (1667-1737) who made this bedcover. They were married in 1696 and according to the last two lines of the third verse the wife embroidered 'the words' according to her 'husband's instructions' indicating that at least part of the cover was worked after their marriage. |
| Bibliographic Reference | Parry, Linda, ed. William Morris. London: Philip Wilson Publishers Limited, 1996. 384 p., ill. ISBN 0856674419 |
| Collection | |
| Accession Number | 8-1884 |
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| record created | January 29, 2002 |
| Record URL |