I did not suspect that the 'raindrops' in the silk damask had little birds, and flowers(?) inside them. And now I see why they published the picture of the back of the curtains!
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| Portion of Silk Damask, Side Curtain to Altar, St. Christopher's, Haslemere designed by Luther Hooper from Art Journal, February 1911 |
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| Portion of Silk Damask, Side Curtain to Altar, St. Christopher's, Haslemere designed by Luther Hooper from Art Journal, February 1911 |
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| Curtain of Woollen Tissue, St Christopher's Church, designed by Luther Hooper, woven by Percy C. Hooper, from Art Journal, February 1911 |
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| Curtain of Woollen Tissue, St Christopher's Church, designed by Luther Hooper, woven by Percy C. Hooper, from Art Journal, February 1911 |
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| Reverse Side of Curtain (from above), Woven in pure cream mercerised cotton, ornamented with green, blue and scarlet wool Art Journal, February 1911 |
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| Reverse Side of Curtain (from above), Woven in pure cream mercerised cotton, ornamented with green, blue and scarlet wool Art Journal, February 1911 |
I think the "flowers" in the Luther Hooper St Christopher altar side-hangings are pomegranates, which often occur in Christian iconography as symbols of Christ's resurrection. I would imagine the birds in the design are intended to be doves (they look a bit pigeon-ish) - either the dove of peace (from the story of Noah's Ark - though it ought to be carrying an olive branch) or to represent the Holy Ghost/Spirit, as it appeared at Christ's baptism by John the Baptist in the River Jordan.
ReplyDeleteHi Alec, lovely to hear from you.
ReplyDeleteYes I'm sure you are quite right about the pomegranates. Sarah from the Weaving House has also shown me the error of my ways, pointing out that pomegranates were "often used with birds by artists and craftworkers during the Aesthetic Movement", William Morris' wallpaper being a good example.