(Benjamin Franklin and George Washington) | A large portion of the allegorical "Apotheosis" bed curtain

(Benjamin Franklin and George Washington)

The Apotheosis of Benjamin Franklin and George Washington. England, ca. 1785

A large portion (72 x 64 in.) of a blue and white copperplate-printed toile bed curtain, comprised of two panels seamed together at the center; several instances of small tears and fraying, patch repairs to larger holes matching linen, a few stains, larger segments of yellow discoloration. Glazed and framed, stitched to cloth mat (overall 79.5 x 79 in.).

One of the largest known examples of this fabric depicting allegorical scenes of the journey toward American Independence.

Among the vignettes are various representations of the American leaders. George Washington and an allegorical female America, holding a plaque reading "America Independence 1776," ride in a chariot drawn by leopards; Benjamin Franklin, sporting his fur cap, stands next to Lady Liberty, waving a banner emblazoned with "Where liberty dwells there is my country." The pair walk toward a Temple of Fame, past two cherubs holding a map of America. The likeness of Franklin is adapted from a 1777 Jean-Baptiste Nini medallion, which also served as the inspiration for lot 118.

The Apotheosis design was produced in England for the American market about 1785, Robertson argues, and it was popular; fragments of the pattern appear in over eighteen museum collections, though many are much smaller than the present example. It even furnished one of the new nation's most important residences: the President's House in New York, as noted in a report of a 1785 visit to the house by Tommy Shippen and Richard Henry Lee. The pattern was reproduced in the 1960s, and Jacqueline Kennedy used it to decorate the White House's "Empire Guest Room," which it adorned until a redesign in 1981.

REFERENCES

Whitney A. J. Robertson, "Sleeping Amongst Heroes: Copperplate-printed Bed Furniture in the 'Washington and American Independance [sic] 1776; the Apotheosis of Franklin' Pattern," in Textile Society of America Symposium Proceedings, 2012

PROVENANCE

Early American History Auctions, 16 July 2022, lot 173 (undesignated consignor)