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An adjustable fire screen with framed needlework stitched with a bouquet of multi-colored flowe…
Fire Screen
An adjustable fire screen with framed needlework stitched with a bouquet of multi-colored flowe…
An adjustable fire screen with framed needlework stitched with a bouquet of multi-colored flowers on a green ground.
Firescreen, Attributed to Mary Telfair, c. 1850, mahogany, brass, silk, wool and linen, Telfair Museum of Art, Savannah, Georgia.

Fire Screen

Artist (American, 1791-1875)
Datec. 1850's
MediumMahogany with brass and embroidered panel with silk and wool on linen.
Dimensions64 1/4 × 22 5/8 inches (163.2 × 57.5 cm)
Credit LineAttributed to the bequest of Mary Telfair.
Object number1875.20
On View
On view
CopyrightThe images and text contained on this page are owned by Telfair Museums or used by the Museum with permission from the owners. Unauthorized reproduction, transmission or display of these materials is prohibited with the exception of items deemed “fair use” as defined by U.S. and international copyright laws.Label TextHistorically, the needlework panel framed within this fire screen has been attributed to Telfair Museums founder Mary Telfair, who wrote about similar projects in her letters to a friend. The flowers in the work include the ever-popular roses and amaryllis. The background and leaves in the bouquet are completed in petit point, or small angular stitches, but the flowers are in a raised and fluffed stitch, probably turkey work. “Turkey work” imitates the texture of Near Eastern, or “Turkish,” carpets, hence its name. Text written for the exhibition 'Lingua Flora,' on view June 21–September 8, 2024.
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