Cushion Cover thumbnail 1
Cushion Cover thumbnail 2
+2
images
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Europe 1600-1815, Room 1

Cushion Cover

1700-1799 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This cushion cover is worked in an embroidery technique typical of the Ionian Islands, to the west of the Greek mainland, and is usually associated with the island of Cephalonia. The Greek islands sat on the boundary between eastern and western Europe at that time. Cephalonia came under Venetian rule in 1500, and the drawn threadwork used here is directly influenced by Italian embroidery. The symmetrical design of stylized birds and geometrical motifs belongs to the vocaulary of the Ottoman empire.


Object details

Category
Object type
Materials and techniques
Linen embroidered with silk and silver thread in split, stem, overcasting and chain stitch, and drawn threadwork
Brief description
linen embroidered in silk, 1700-1800, Greek; Ionian Islands, Cephalonia
Physical description
Square cover, embroidered in green, red, blue silk and silver thread on linen, with drawn threadwork. It has a symmetrical design of stylized birds and geometrical motifs. The edges have traces of a binding that has been removed.
Dimensions
  • Height: 490mm
  • Width: 475mm
Measured by Conservation, 2012.
Credit line
Given by Prof. R. M. Dawkins
Object history
Exhibited at the Burlington Fine Arts Club, 1914, cat. no. 15
Summary
This cushion cover is worked in an embroidery technique typical of the Ionian Islands, to the west of the Greek mainland, and is usually associated with the island of Cephalonia. The Greek islands sat on the boundary between eastern and western Europe at that time. Cephalonia came under Venetian rule in 1500, and the drawn threadwork used here is directly influenced by Italian embroidery. The symmetrical design of stylized birds and geometrical motifs belongs to the vocaulary of the Ottoman empire.
Bibliographic references
  • Tatiana Ioannou-Yannara, Greek Embroidery 17th-19th Century. Works of Art from the Collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum, Angeliki Hatzimihali Foundation, 2007, cat. 23, p. 244. Loraine Long, 'Supplying Local Markets', in The Arts of Living. Europe 1600-1815, eds. E. Miller and H. Young. (London: V&A Publishing 2015), pp. 132-5, Fig. 149.
  • Silk: Fibre, Fabric and Fashion, edited by Lesley Ellis Miller and Ana Cabrera Lafuente with Claire Allen-Johnstone, Thames and Hudson Ltd. in association with the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, United Kingdom, 2021, pp. 422-423
  • Miller, Lesley Ellis, and Ana Cabrera Lafuente, with Claire Allen-Johnstone, eds. Silk: Fibre, Fabric and Fashion. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd in association with the Victoria and Albert Museum, 2021. ISBN 978-0-500-48065-6. This object features in the publication Silk: Fibre, Fabric and Fashion (2021)
Collection
Accession number
T.207-1950

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest