#6572 $950 Sold
Tambour embroidered net shawl, late 19th century
Tamboured net shawls make lovely wedding accessories, the "something old" on a bride's special day. The ethereal designs have a romantic, nostalgic mood.
The term tambour embroidery has become generic for any chain stitch embroidery, whether produced by hand with a tambour hook or by an embroidery machine. The regularity of design suggests this one was produced by a machine.
I love the bows that tie the densely packed bouquets of flowers. The color has aged to a mellow ivory. The shawl can be washed to make it white again, but I prefer not to do so because I like an aged, original surface.
The floral motif (3rd picture from the bottom) is of the last degree of charm. The embroiderer uses the complexity and intricacy of her design as a metaphor for the fecundity of nature, pregnant with new life in springtime and
With April's first-born flowers, and all things rare,
That heaven's air in this huge rondure hems.
The condition is excellent.
It measures 22 1/2" wide by 109" long.
