Not on display

Handkerchief

ca. 1770 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Handkerchief of plate-printed linen. Printed in blue with scenes from 'The Gambols of Greenwich Park in Holliday time'. At the top of the hill is the Greenwich Observatory with a line of bushes and trees on the horizon. Groups of men and women are dancing on the slopes, and one man and woman have fallen at the foot of a tree. Some of the men wear baggy trousers. One of them is performing scarf dance with a woman to the music of a pipe and drum. Other men and women are sitting on the grass or strolling. Two wardens, one with a badge of the City of London on his sleeve, are discussing either the dancing or the activities of a salesman with a basket. In the foreground, children are playing, the gentry are exchanging polite greetings, and a woman in patched and ragged clothing is offering a miniature garden for sale. Just above the garden seller, another similarly dressed woman is telling fortunes while children pick the pockets of her victim.

The scene is framed above by draped curtains with a fringe and tassels supported by two cherubs. Cupid, with four arrows in his bow, flies between the curtains. The whole is framed by two decorative borders, and a scroll with an inscription is superimposed on them below the scene.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Plate-printed linen
Brief description
Handkerchief of plate-printed linen, England, ca. 1770
Physical description
Handkerchief of plate-printed linen. Printed in blue with scenes from 'The Gambols of Greenwich Park in Holliday time'. At the top of the hill is the Greenwich Observatory with a line of bushes and trees on the horizon. Groups of men and women are dancing on the slopes, and one man and woman have fallen at the foot of a tree. Some of the men wear baggy trousers. One of them is performing scarf dance with a woman to the music of a pipe and drum. Other men and women are sitting on the grass or strolling. Two wardens, one with a badge of the City of London on his sleeve, are discussing either the dancing or the activities of a salesman with a basket. In the foreground, children are playing, the gentry are exchanging polite greetings, and a woman in patched and ragged clothing is offering a miniature garden for sale. Just above the garden seller, another similarly dressed woman is telling fortunes while children pick the pockets of her victim.

The scene is framed above by draped curtains with a fringe and tassels supported by two cherubs. Cupid, with four arrows in his bow, flies between the curtains. The whole is framed by two decorative borders, and a scroll with an inscription is superimposed on them below the scene.
Dimensions
  • Length: 26.25in
  • Length: 66.6cm
  • Width: 29.75in
  • Width: 75.6cm
Marks and inscriptions
'B: WARREN SCULP.' (Printed inside the border)
Collection
Accession number
T.283-1971

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
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