Cloth

1850? FS Canvas Tapestry. Presumably made in Aubusson, France. 17” x 16.5”. Source unknown. This well-worn piece still has a recognizable scene, with the fox lapping up his thin soup while the frustrated stork looks on, perhaps already planning some payback. Would a piece like this have covered a chair or pillow? Is it, as I believe, deeply worn?

2000? Four matching cloths of La Fontaine’s Fables from le Musèe de la Fontaine. OF; “The Heron”; TH; and FC. Pure cotton. 18.5” x 28”. Le Musèe de la Fontaine. Distributed by Tradilinge. Unknown source. These four cloths offer texts in black, central figures in black, and brown background in a very pleasing combination. What are these cloths meant to do, other than to represent La Fontaine’s fable beautifully? I learned from investigating these cloths that L'Empereur is a soft, washed rind cheese made with pasteurized cow's milk.

1999 Marvic Textiles "Les Fables De La Fontaine" Toile Printed 100% Cotton Fabric. 18.3" x 23.3". Unknown source. This is a smaller section of the same pattern as just above, including only the basic pattern of eight fable scenes. The hue here has more red than the larger section's brown. Someone has hemmed this segment very nicely with gold thread. This smaller segment lacks the identifying signature of the larger piece above.

2000? TH 10” Hoop Cloth. Contrast. Small Fry #7032. 13” x 12.5”. Unknown source. The tortoise here is on roller skates and wears an airman’s googles and cap. He is eating an ice-cream cone! The hare sleeps on with a piece of straw in his mouth. There is a matching pattern in the tortoise’s back and cap and the hare’s sweater and shoes.

2000? WC Mola from Panama. Dimensions. Unknown source. This lively piece of work can be hard to decipher, at least at first. Are those frogs behind and under the wolf? I find this work breathtaking!

2000? TH Mola from Panama. 17" x 14.7". Unknown source. My what a lively, colorful piece of work! At first, I thought that this duo was musical, but on further inspection the hare is eating a carrot. And is the tortoise carrying a basket? In any case, they do not seem to be racing!

1990? Three Margot de Paris Needlepoint Patterns: TH(#271); FC (#272); and LM (#274). Plus two extra copies of FC. 9.75” x 23.5”. Unknown source. Lively presentations of each fable. They follow the same pattern in arranging the characters horizontally. One can see one example of TH completed in our collection under “Cross Stitch” and the other two under "Canvas Tapestries."

1900? Single tapestry of fables of La Fontaine. 8” x 8.5’. Total width 10”. Unknown source. As in the matching pair of tapestries, this long, slender, exquisite tapestry contains six fable scenes. In order, they are WL; “The Fox and the Cat”; “The Hare and the Frogs”; TH; DS; and “Two Goats.” These are the same six subjects – and the same six images – as on Tapestry B above, but in different order. And the canvas backing of the tapestry remains at the sides of this tapestry. It is again noteworthy that none of these subjects or images occur on the broader single tapestry above.

1900? Two matching tapestries of fables of La Fontaine. 8” x 8’. Unknown source. Each of these long, slender, exquisite tapestries contains six fable scenes. The style is similar to that on our wider tapestry, but strangely none of the twelve scenes presented here are the same as the seven there. Two of the images here are unclear to me. I would love to have help in deciphering them! The first image here shows them as they stood at the entrance to an on-campus exhibit of the fable collection, "Thundering Tortoises and Horrified Hares," in January, '18.

1980? Red and white runner featuring ten fable scenes. 44.5" x 14.5”. Source unknown. This piece of cloth features two rows of distinctive fable scenes. One row features, from left to right, FC; "The Heron"; MM; TH; and WL. If we turn it over and again proceed from left to right, we have "The Secret"; CJ; FS; "The Hare and the Frogs"; and MSA. Some scenes are more skillfully rendered than others, but overall it is a lovely piece!

1980? “Aesop’s Fables Thomas Bewick 1784” hand print by Patterson Fabrics of NY. About 3’1” square. Source unknown. Four rows of four rectangles each. My attempts to learn something about Patterson Fabrics have not been successful. Bewick may suffer from being enlarged from his exquisite woodcuts.

2004 Unframed Cross stitch of FC. 11.2" x 7.5". Image 6.6" x 4.25". Unknown source. Imagine my surprise when I found an exact copy unframed. Can we assume that a pattern was somewhere published and many people followed the pattern? Like the framed copy above, this is very nice work! As there, the crow is perched on top of a roof rather than in a tree. The composition is lovely. Trees on either side frame the house together with the two characters.