Portière

James Templeton & Company|Bruce J. Talbert

ca. 1870 · Cotton warp and wool weft · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

This portière is an example of the popular woven wool hangings that were produced by the J & S Templeton firm in Glasgow from the 1860s; these were considered innovative technical tours de force for their successful weaving of such a large and complicated pattern in one piece. Talbert had a fruitful collaboration with Templeton, and his eclectic design takes full advantage of the jacquard weaving capabilities. Not only does the pattern change over the length of the curtain, the thread choices and structure are also skillfully employed to augment the complexity of the design and subtly emphasize certain motifs. To date, a design drawing for this portère has not been discovered.

Artist

James Templeton & Company|Bruce J. Talbert

Date

ca. 1870

Medium

Cotton warp and wool weft

Culture

Scottish

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Purchase, John and Patricia Nguyen Foundation Gift, 2015