Description: ELABORATE SAILOR’S SOUVENIR EMBROIDERY FROM THE ORIENT WITH A BEAUTIFUL LARGE EAGLE, FEDERAL SHIELD, CROSSED Flags of US and Ireland, circa 1867 - 1880 Measurements inside the frame: 39" x 25" Flag Size (H x L): Description: Between roughly 1880 and 1915, American sailors visiting the orient could obtain beautiful needlework embroideries on shore, with patriotic American themes. These extraordinary works of art were acquired as mementos of a long voyage, often with the hope that they might be presented as gifts to loved ones and friends. Using silk floss, elaborately embellished with both silver and gold metallic bullion thread, and combining various types of embroidery work and stitchery, as well as trapunto work to make them three-dimensional, artists created these elaborate pictures, making standardized designs or customizing them to the buyer's content. Executed on satin, like this example, or sometimes on velvet, the most common devices included eagles, flags, and shields, often with various maritime elements. This particular example features a spread-winged, war-like eagle, with a cluster of arrows in each talon, above a canted, federal shield, flanked on either side by American national flags and an Irish Flag , with metallic finials and tassels. This flag has "God Save Ireland. This sailor must have had an Irish background and may have been moved by events in 1867. "God Save Ireland" is an Irish rebel song celebrating the Manchester Martyrs, three Fenians executed in 1867. It served as an unofficial anthem for Irish nationalists from the 1870s to the 1910s. Many of these flags were made by “The Geo. Washington Company” in Yokohama, Japan. G. Fukughi opened his firm in 1880, with the intention of producing souvenirs for an audience of American Navymen. Advertising as a “Dealer in Fine Art Goods,” Fukughi employed expert painters and embroiderers who painstakingly produced these extraordinary textiles with some of the finest handwork one can encounter. His extraordinary business sold goods at points all over the orient, including not only Japan, but China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Korea, the Philippines, and elsewhere. When examining the level of craftsmanship, note the glass eye employed in the making of the eagle, and the tassels, carefully knotted, made of metallic bullion thread. Condition: The overall condition is extraordinary. This was found in an estate in San Jose California. The home dated to 1901. This was in the master bedroom...no photos were included. The frame seems to be original. The white spots on the glass appearr to be paint specks. You could reframe and include yourr own personalized photos. Earliest Date of Origin: Possibly 1867 Latest Date of Origin: 1910 State/Affiliation: War Association: 1898 Spanish American War
Price: 1800 USD
Location: San Jose, California
End Time: 2024-11-13T01:35:11.000Z
Shipping Cost: N/A USD
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All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Year: 1867
