A rare set of silk Bargello bed hangings early 17th century

comprising a pair of long runners and three pelmets, worked in graduated shades of blue, green, ivory, yellow, rose and brown silks on an open canvas ground, with repeating stepped and flame motifs within geometric borders, (5), pelmets 178cm long, 35cm high; runners 250cm long, 41cm wide, Literature:, P Clabburn, 'The National Trust Book of Furnishing Textiles', London, 1988, p. 151, for related early flamestitch furnishings at Parham House, West Sussex, including the circa 1620 bed hangings in the Green Chamber;, Literature: P Clabburn, 'The National Trust Book of Furnishing Textiles', London, 1988, p. 151, for related early flamestitch furnishings at Parham House, West Sussex, including the circa 1620 bed hangings in the Green Chamber; J Marsden, 'The Chastleton Inventory of 1633’, Furniture History, Vol. 36, 2000, pp. 23-42, for contemporary reference to 'Irish stitch' furnishings at Chastleton House, Oxfordshire. Bargello, also known as flamestitch, Florentine work, Hungarian point or Irish stitch, is a form of counted-thread embroidery in which long vertical stitches are worked over an open canvas ground to create distinctive stepped or flame-like patterns. The technique was particularly well suited to furnishing textiles, where the repetition of geometric forms and subtle gradation of coloured threads could produce hangings of considerable richness and decorative impact. Worked on the scale of bed curtains and hangings, Bargello formed an important part of the richly layered textile interiors of the period, while the time and materials required for such extensive schemes made them substantial furnishings in their own right. The closest comparison for the present set is found on the State Bed in the Green Chamber at Parham House, West Sussex, where an important suite of Bargello curtains, pelmets and valances is dated to circa 1620. A closely related survival is provided by the silk Bargello bed curtains formerly at Spetchley Park, Worcestershire, of the same date, and worked in graduated coloured silks on a hessian ground. Large-scale Bargello bed furnishings of this early date are rare survivals, not least because such textiles were susceptible to wear and could subsequently be adapted for other decorative purposes. The survival of the present set therefore offers an evocative glimpse into the colour, pattern and textile richness of an early 17th-century interior. Condition Report, Condition Report, This lot does not have a condition report, if you would like further information, please click the 'Request A Condition Report’ button below. Request A Condition Report, Request A Condition Report

Estimate:£2,000

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