Counterpane, copperplate print

Dateca. 1790

OriginEngland; used in America, New England

MediumCotton, copperplate printed

DimensionsOH: 87"; OW: 90 1/2" Selvage width 37 1/2"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1981-188

DescriptionSingle-layer counterpane plate-printed in madder red on white ground. Design consists of three vignettes within scrolling medallions composed of fruit, flowers, and c-scrolls. The largest vignette depicts two musicians playing a violin and recorder and two couples dancing in a rural setting. Dancers are dressed in fashionable eighteenth-century costume. One of the smaller vignettes depicts a woman balancing a vessel on her head with a windmill in the background. The second smaller vignette shows a man with a basket of fruit and flowers on his head, with a small garden structure in the background. Between the vignettes are c-scrolls, flower garlands, and birds perched on vines and scrolls. The counterpane is trimmed with red and white blockprinted tape in a floral and scallop design.
Thread count of ground fabric: 52 warps x 52 wefts per inch.
Cotton fiber confirmed by microscope.
Counterpane pieced up.
ProvenanceDescended from Mrs. James Fulton, Jr.'s mother and came from the Robinson/ Pierce/ Deming family, probably Massachusetts or Rhode Island.