C. A. König
Chair Seat or Pillow Cover with Floral Design
1833-1932
Scroll
C. A. König
Chair Seat or Pillow Cover with Floral Design
1833-1932
Physical Qualities
Cotton ground, wool and silk embroidery threads, 22 1/4 x 22 3/8 in. (56.5 x 56.8 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Martha Custis Peter, Baltimore
Object Number
2008.32
A roundel possibly intended as a chair seat cover or pillow cover worked on a large square of needlework ground. The central roundel is embroidered in a floral bouquet in wools and silks of numerous vibrant colors against a light old gold background. This is surrounded by a border of smaller flowers in primarily white and violet colors on a field of turquoise blue. The floral designs are in cross stitch over one set of paired ground threads, while the gold background section in the middle is cross-stitched over two sets of paired ground threads, thus creating a net-like effect.
Over forty colors of wool and silk embroidery threads are used including:
1dk. purple, 2 purple, 3 med. purple, 4 lavender, 5 white (silk), 6 dk. green-grey, 7 lt. green-grey, 8 yellow-brown *silk), 9 bright yellow (silk), 10 cream, 11 very dk. blue-green, 12, dk. blue-green, 13 med. blue-green, 14, lt. blue-green, 15 very lt. blue-green, 16 dk. gold (silk), 17 lt. gold (silk), 18 dk. violet, 19 med. violet, 20 lt. violet, 21 true green, 27 yellow-green, 28 lt. yellow-green, 29 olive green, 30 dk. olive green, 31 very dk. red, 32 dk. red, 33 red, 34 rose, 35, dark brown-red, 36 med. blue (border), 37dk. brown, 38 med. brown, 39 lt. brown, 40 coral (silk), 41 lt. yellow (silk). The silks are untwisted except for the gold silks in the background, which are twisted.
The roundel covers an area about 15-1/2" in diameter. The surrounding exposed unworked ground is a bluish-grey with 24 threads per inch in both directions, spaced in groups of two threads separated by approximately 1/8". The sides are selvages 3/16" wide. The top and bottom edges are folded under in a 1/4" hem. A small rectangle of paper - an original tag is attached to the upper left corner with printed and written information about the needlework.
Baltimore Museum of Art by gift, 2008; Martha Custis Peter, Baltimore, MD
Raffaella Serena, "Berlin Work Samplers & Embroidery of the Nineteenth Century," Berkeley, CA: Lacis, 1996, pp. 98-107; pp.188-198.
Georgiana Brown Harbeson, "American Needlework: The history of Decorative Stitchery and Embroidery from the Lat 16th to the 20th Century." New York: Bonanza Books, 1938, pp. 119-126,
Georgiana Brown Harbeson, "American Needlework: The history of Decorative Stitchery and Embroidery from the Lat 16th to the 20th Century." New York: Bonanza Books, 1938, pp. 119-126,
Inscribed: Original printed paper tag attached to upper left corner with information in print and hand written in ink: Printed in various fonts and sizes: "Tapisserie Waaren/Fabrik/ von/C.A. KÖNIG/ vormaIs Nicolai & Gillet/Hof- Lief. J. M.d Königin/ BERLIN/ Jäger Str. 23./ Dess No. 3545 [# hand- written in ink]/ Ass No. 17348 [# handwritten in ink]/ [added at bottom of tag in ink:] ess Cy aKy [unable to completely understand handwritting]. Trans. "Tapestry.../Fabric by C.A. Konig/ formerly Nicolai & Gillet, Purveyors to ..Her Majesty the Queen
