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Source Description
This is possibly one of the earliest surviving examples of the bedspreads that Greek maidens on the island of Crete traditionally emroidered for their wedding night. For most of the 17th century, Crete was a Venetian colony, which explains the western costumes of many of the figures seen here. The double-headed eagle was part of the coat of arms of the last Byzantine imperial dynasty; after the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 it became an emblem of the Orthodox Church (cf. Walters 57.791, 57.1042, 57.1083).
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
6563
label
Emroidered Bedspread
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
6563
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Emroidered Bedspread
description
This is possibly one of the earliest surviving examples of the bedspreads that Greek maidens on the island of Crete traditionally emroidered for their wedding night. For most of the 17th century, Crete was a Venetian colony, which explains the western costumes of many of the figures seen here. The double-headed eagle was part of the coat of arms of the last Byzantine imperial dynasty; after the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 it became an emblem of the Orthodox Church (cf. Walters 57.791, 57.1042, 57.1083).
provenance
Henry Walters, Baltimore, [date of acquisition unknown] by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
17th century (Early Modern)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
bedspreads
imageCount
1
pageCount
1
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
285
height
193
dimensionsRaw
112 3/16 x 76 in. (285 x 193 cm)
Source extras
cul
Orthodox Eastern
style
Baroque
med
linen with colored silk embroidery
creator_ids
6256
collection_ids
BAR
exhibition_ids
none
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
68693c3f499cb595