Dawn knows I love a quilt coincidence so she sent a mystery to solve.
"Rare pieced and appliqued cotton bedcover,
American, possibly Baltimore, circa 1850"
86" x 75"
This terrific applique sampler was sold at Sotheby's three years ago. It is indeed quirky with
peacocks (?), horses, a medallion format and a lot of dots.
The center block has a Christian cross,
maybe a tombstone?
She noticed a twin medallion with lots of dots, a Christian cross and a peacock---
no horses but a herd of deer. This one is from dealer Jan Whitlock's
inventory.
They both look to be mid-19th century.
Jan's caption:
"Important Southern Applique Quilt Top, Jan Whitlock Textiles & Interiors"
She also spotted a third appliqued medallion
Christian crosses, peacocks and deer.
Other commonalities:
the border, the wreaths, etc. The photo is not great but
it does look like a 20th century version.
Well, I don't know what to make of it. My first thought was New York (New Yorkers loved to put horses in their sampler quilts) but Sotheby's thought Baltimore and Jan Whitlock thought Southern.
What do you readers think?
Go to the Sotheby's site and look at their enlarged photo of the quilt.
Here's their copy about the quilt on sale:
"A 'summer spread,' two thickness of delicacy cotton, without batting, elegantly appliqued with small, precisely cut patches of printed, solid and plaid cotton, sewn with hem stitches; each of the 42 squares displays a horse with bridle and saddle; a peacock with tri-part tail with appliqued and hem-stitched "spots;" floral wreath, the central square with a peacock perched on the back of a horse, grasping a rope rein in its bill beside a flower-twined cross, banked by more flowers under an arching grapevine laden with clusters of grapes; the whole within a grapevine border. Provenance: Elliott and Grace Snyder Antiques, South Egremont, Massachusetts, 1995."