Fire screen
Victoria Mary Louisa Cust (1823 - 1895)
Category
Textiles
Date
circa 1860
Materials
Silk and cotton
Measurements
660 x 560 mm
Place of origin
Erddig
Collection
Erddig, Wrexham
NT 1156023
Summary
Fire screen. An embroidered banner fire screen from the late second half of the 19th century (dated to c.1860 by Jill Medlam) in the Arts and Crafts style, and worked by Victoria Yorke (1824-1895). The hanging originally comprised a complex woven ground of brown cotton(?) and pink silk with an applied and embroidered design of styled floral motifs arranged in a square panel with a central bright red silk velvet star motif. The design is worked in metal threads, fine braids and silk and or mercerised cotton threads in pink and blue blended satin stitch embroidery and applique velvet. There was originally a border of a russet coloured silk satin ribbon. A cord covered in shades of blue, green and yellow silk is fixed around 3 sides and a red and green (?) wool tassel fringe hangs along the bottom edge. There are three large tassels in a russet/red colour. These are separate and so it is assumed that the screen was similar to the screen currently on display in the Entrance Hall where the screen hangs from a brass bar and has one tassel fixed to each top corner, supported in the hanging bar. It is not clear where the third tassel was originally positioned. The back panel is of plain red wool and the structural stiffening layer, sandwiched between the back panel and embroidery, is plain woven jute.
Provenance
Given by Philip Yorke III (1905-1978) along with the estate, house and contents to the National Trust in 1973
Makers and roles
Victoria Mary Louisa Cust (1823 - 1895), embroiderer Victoria Mary Louisa Cust (1823 - 1895), designer