This is a charming folk piece from Scotland. The needlepoint depicts a village of stone houses overlooking a bay. At 14-1/2″ x 11″, it’s set in a 2″ through mortise-and-tenon No. 1201 “Kelmscott” frame in quartersawn white oak with Weathered Oak stain. Trevor Davis’s fine handwork.
The needlepoint’s age is unknown, but it had apparently never enjoyed proper framing, so was a bit of a mess when it came in. Textile conservator Joyce Hulbert did an expert job cleaning it up, though, as well as stretching it.
The Kelmscott‘s chamfers and articulated corners work beautifully on this piece, repeating the angles of the houses. The square plugs echo the stonework. And the mortise-and-tenon joinery speaks of the kind of craftsmanship that’s allowed these old houses to endure the centuries.
Below are two more recent pieces, both early twentieth century, both set in stained quartersawn oak Kelmscott frames—a ca. 1910 California Art tile and a PreRaphaelite bronze.
California Art tile, ca. 1910, 5-1/2″ x 11-3/4″
Early twentieth century brass plaque, 15″ x 9″, signed “S. DeSimone”