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Door Fragment of a Bed Tent

Maker Unknown

Datec. 18th Century

Mediumsilk embroidery thread on plain weave linen

DimensionsSight: 26 3/8 × 20 1/2 inches (67 × 52.1 cm)

Credit LineGift of Mrs. John B. Seymour in memory of her father, Joseph Hilton.

Object number1929.3.19

On View

Not 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 TextEmbroidered fabric pieces from a sperveri style bed tent. The ‘spitha’ or 'spark' appears as a center motif throughout the embroidery fragment, represented by multi colored blue, red, and white silk threads. Sperveri are a particular form of bed furnishing, known from the Greek Dodecanese (literally ‘Twelve Islands’) in the Aegean Sea, close to the Turkish coastline. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, American and European museums’ collections included examples of textiles representing the woven history of many different global cultures. The Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences [now Telfair Museums] received collections of textiles from various well-traveled Savannahians. The Hilton Textile Collection is mentioned in a 1937 WPA travel guide to Savannah; boasting that among other objects of material culture, the Telfair Museum of Art held an international collection of textiles. "The Hilton Collection of Textiles was presented by Ida Hilton Seymour as a memorial to her father, Josiah Hilton. Examples of old embroidery from England, Greece, Turkey, Persia and China are shown on head bands, waistcoats or yellowing handkerchiefs. Lace woven in Venice a century ago, French and Spanish brocades, and Indian weaving of a lost era display handwork artistry."

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