Research:
Of colored wool on linen. Recently cleaned and re-backed.
Provenance:
James and Mary T. Hill, and thence by descent
According to the eminent textile scholar, Titi Halle, this unusual and large needlework was likely made in France in the territories bordering Belgium.
Embroideries, albeit on a much smaller scale, were often carried out by aristocratic ladies as an elegant pastime, however, a piece on this scale would have consumed many thousands of hours and thus is probably the product of a professional workshop.
It is likely that the repeating peony flower head design has its genesis in the genre of needlework known as millefleurs (“thousand-flowers”), characterized by a ground of profuse floral and foliate decoration. The motif was popular in fifteenth and sixteenth century, woven in various centers in Northern France and Flanders in towns such as Arras, Tournai, Lille, and Brussels.
Full Research Report Available on Request.