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Bed hangings
Pett, Abigail - Enlarge image
Bed hangings
- Place of origin:
England (made)
- Date:
1680-1700 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Pett, Abigail
- Materials and Techniques:
Embroidered in crewel wool on a linen and cotton ground
- Credit Line:
Given by Mr and Mrs W. J. H. Whittall
- Museum number:
T.13 to I-1929
- Gallery location:
In Storage
Object Type
This curtain is from a set of bed hangings, comprising four curtains and six valances. Such sets of hangings, when pulled closed around a bed, gave warmth and privacy. They were usually the most important part of the bed, generally referred to as the 'furniture', and were often valued more highly than the wooden bed frames they decorated.
Materials & Making
The curtain is embroidered in a technique known as crewel work, from the crewel or worsted wool used. Crewel work was popular through much of the second half of the 17th century, and was used extensively for bed hangings. It was usually carried out on a strong ground fabric of linen and cotton twill.
Design & Designing
Many crewel work curtains were loosely based on Far Eastern designs. They were influenced by Indian painted textiles which were becoming increasingly available in England in this period and which themselves mixed Eastern and Western motifs. Abigail Pett's curtains have some fashionable Indian elements, but many aspects of their design are firmly in the tradition of English embroidery, particularly in the depiction of animals, and the varied filling stitches for the foliage.
