SILKEN THRONE
Upholstered in silk damask, this c1700 chair is just one antique that we have the silkworm to thank for.
the appeal. We sell good ones for around £1,100-£1,500.’
In America, a er the death of President George Washington, memorial embroideries became extremely fashionable and now provide an interesting sub-genre for collectors to explore. They o en featured grieving relatives standing forlornly beside a monument inscribed with the names of deceased loved ones, with symbolic weeping willows in the background.
‘Sometimes young ladies stitched these, even though they had no one to memorialise, and le the tomb inscription blank to be lled in later,’ reveals Stephen. ‘With so many designs and styles to choose from, it’s hard to select favourites, but some extra-special embroideries stick in the memory. Having been involved in this for almost 50 years, we have had some fabulous pieces,’ says Stephen. ‘The interesting ones are those that involve a lot of research, such as the wonderful picture of Lafaye e, his son and members of the Washington family visiting the tomb of George and Martha Washington when he made his historic visit to America in 1824 (below).’
With such a ention to detail and impressively immaculate needlework, it’s easy to forget that the majority of these pieces were stitched by young schoolgirls. They provided a creative outlet for a section of society who rarely had a voice. Yet, on closer inspection, the passion, creativity and energy that exudes from the gleaming silks clearly re ects the optimism and vigour of youth.