Listen to a verbal description of the object intended for someone with low to no vision, or anyone looking for a closer look at the object.

Transcript:

This coverlet was made in the late 18th century and measures five feet six inches tall and four feet nine inches wide. The ikat top layer of this coverlet is made of silk and linen thread, the back is made of silk. The layers are connected by quilted embroidery. This coverlet or bedspread has both the colorful print-like pattern of the weave and a textured pattern created by the quilting process that joins the ikat fabric with other layers of the piece. The back of this bedspread is a pink silk fabric. Between the silk backing and ikat top layer, there is about half an inch of batting or filling that would make the coverlet a more effective warming layer for a bed. First we’ll examine the woven pattern of the ikat which is precise in its execution but has an intentional blurry quality around the edges. The pattern is a repeat of vertical stripes, a powder blue stripe about 3 inches wide sits next to a cream colored stripe about 5 inches wide.This set of stripes repeats 6 times across the coverlet. Within the cream stripe, there is more detail. Thin lines on both edges of the cream stripe in pale yellow, dusty rose and black frame an abstract design of flowers. The stems and leaves of the flowers are a soft, mossy green and run down the center of the cream stripe in alternating curved lines that are reminiscent of vines. Splashes of the same dusty rose color form the blossoms of the flowers. Both the blossoms and the stems have irregular edges that artists in France nicknamed flambee or flamming, an aesthetic that was desirable at the time. On the sides of the coverlet there are two strips of the fabric that have been cut off and attached perpendicularly to the rest of the bedspread making the pattern horizontal on the edges. Now let’s focus on the quilting that joins the layers together. The quilted stitching is done in a clear thread so that the lines themselves are only visible by the indentation and texture they create of the surface of the bedspread. In the center of the piece there is a circle surrounded by eight symmetrical petal shapes forming a simple flower shape, like a large daisy. The daisy has three rings encircling it and then diamond shapes fill most of the coverlet until about a foot from the edges where they are boxed in. Around the diamonds, small hearts and daisies alternate in a border to the quilting.