Featured Tapestry? Nope, Embroidery

This beautiful 5 foot by 4 foot tapestry was purchased from an online auction house for less than the minimum wage(seriously). I know very little about tapestries but felt at that cost the frame was worth more. After getting it home and getting up close, I noticed that it wasn't a tapestry but what I believe to be a very large embroidery. In the close up pictures you will see that it is also what I would call an unfinished work, as parts of the mesh has no yarn.


The entire work looks great from just a few feet away, so I was wondering, is this really unfinished or do individuals choose to leave areas unfinished as their own artistic choice? I cant imagine someone having a truly unfinished work professionally matted and framed being as large as it is. Again this is very large embroidery or am I getting the medium wrong? I can not find 5 foot embroideries online either finished of for sale as a kit(that could be related to my weak google skills)


Additionally, this is very vintage. Im guessing 60’s 70’s by the frame, but the work looks a little bit older. Sorry for the angled view, this has a heavy plastic cover that is highly reflective, so a clear shot was difficult. Should I replace the plastic with glass or remove completely, what would be the norm?

Is there any history to the design? Era? Style?

Thank you

 

The stitches are pretty blurry in these photos and I can't really tell what's stitch and what's pre-printed canvas, but I believe this is needlepoint. Are the bare bits shaped more like a screen (woven holes) or fabric (solid)?

As to framing unfinished bits -- I don't know what happened here, but there are lots of options: I have purchased and framed unfinished bits I have found particularly interesting; needle-worker gets hit by a bus and family frames unfinished piece; piece was left stuffed in a cardboard box that went through a flood that was then left in the back window of a car and by the time the piece got framed, not all of the needlework could be salvaged (rot is real).

Wouldn't be surprised if at some point there was a decorator trend for unfinished canvases that looked old, but were mass-produced somewhere. (edit: Not saying that's what you have -- I know of no such trend, lol!)

 

It's pretty. I don't know when pre-printed canvases came into being, but it can't be any older than that!

BTW, I'm the sort of person who would frame something like this, even if unfinished, if I liked it enough. I also have been known to wear damaged vintage jewelry.

 

The more I look, the more I second-guess myself -- @mmarco102 is there a design printed on the canvas? (edit: Doh! Probably painted on the canvas.)

 

The more I look, the more I am confused. Are any of these pictures taken from the back?

 

From the photos, it is really hard to see what is going on. But another explanation for the areas of open canvas might be the selective loss of some fibers or dye types. I have seen examples of moths and dermestids (carpet beetles) being very selective in what they will eat on a fabric, avoiding some dyes or fibers and preferring others. They will eat wool and silk, but usually not cotton or linen. Some dyes may be more or less palatable as well. There are also particular dyes that have destroyed fibers on historic textiles. Dark brown colors are sometimes missing or badly damaged because the dyes used were based on iron compounds which became very acidic.

 

Can you tell if the yarn forms a pile (like on a Persian rug), or does it lay flat?
I agree with Bakersgma that it looks somewhat like the back of a carpet.

 

That's a beauty! I'd hang that.

I am no where near the expert some of your are when it comes to textiles.
So this is just my humble opinion:

I believe whoever did this was a master at Needlepoint. Not painted canvas. Hand counted.

What you are seeing is open work used as part of the color and design of the total piece. There are no knots, so all the pictures shown must be the front of the piece.

I see different size and types of stitches as well as different yarn types.

1. Notice the green is one square the red takes two squares.
2. The open is used to highlight the shape of the flower and give texture.
3. The red thread looks like a heavier wool, where as the green looks thinner like a cotton/silk thread.

 

@clutteredcloset49 You may well be right -- where you see the green taking one square, I see no thread at all, so who knows?

I did wonder for a bit if it was a trammed canvas, but I really don't think that's it.

 

It is peculiar. In the green areas that @clutteredcloset49 has highlighted, I see green between the canvas threads, but no yarn actually going over the canvas. How can that be?

 

I used to buy needlepoint kits like I think this one is. What you get is a dyed design on a needle point canvas fabric and yarn. You frame it to hold it flat, so you can pull your needle and yarn through and tighten it. I could be wrong, but that is what it looks like to me.

 

@mmarco102, can you tell us where your last photo is located on the larger piece? It has a large expanse of open canvas that appears to be colored in some way.

Also, I think the design may be Ottoman inspired.

 

We will make ourselves insane if the OP doesn't return with some new pics soon.

I enlarged the green #1 section and if there is thread there, my guess is petit point stitches in just one shade of green. Because surely, I am seeing some open canvas, right? ...which does not look like Penelope canvas which kind of shoots this whole theory.

I still see no thread, but if I look long enough I think I see it in spots... and then it's gone. Kind of like a Magic Eye poster.

I don't know, I've always been more of an embroidery fan.

 

Wouldn't be surprised if at some point there was a decorator trend for unfinished canvases that looked old, but were mass-produced somewhere. (edit: Not saying that's what you have -- I know of no such trend, lol!)[/QUOTE]
I think you may be right about this. After staring at it for a while, this looks a purposeful lack of thread.

 

That's the one picture that prompted my question about whether any were of the back. Having looked again and again, my thinking is that it must be lower left, where a pink "flower" seems to float on a dark background just to the left of the yellow "cloth" on which that vase is sitting. Maybe it's a trick of the lighting between the first picture (of the whole item) and the very close shot of the last picture.

 

Or Mughal inspired, particularly with that style of niche and the red background:


http://neveryetmelted.com/tags/mughal/

 

That's what I think, too.

 

Very, very sorry for the long delay in responding. Busy day for me love all the chatter

Give me time to review all questions and I will up images as requested.

In the mean time to @clutteredcloset49 posted image, yes there is a fine green tread that weaves at some points.

 

It is the left hand part of the 'flat' surface the vase is standing on.