Textiles

My wife Ida Marie Anna was born in Neuilly-Sur-Seine, Paris, in 1941, eldest daughter to a Greco-Italian mother, Ivy Contarini, and a French father, Guy George Antoine Lapierre.

Massachusetts sale includes elaborate examples of early needlework from across the Atlantic

Mainland Chinese buyers bidding on jade, porcelain, wooden and textile offerings dominated the leader board at an Asian & Islamic sale at Cheltenham.

Just as the title reads, this album offered by Mellors & Kirk in Nottingham contains Specimens of Needle-Work Executed in the Female Model School, Kildare-Place, Dublin.

Eighteen works by the Birmingham School artist Mary Ireland (1891-1980) were offered at a recent Lyon & Turnbull’s (25/20% buyer’s premium) sale.

Stand-out lots on offer in upcoming summer auctions and from dealers.

Sworders’ (25% buyer’s premium) Design sale on May 18 included a record for a wall-hanging by the weaver Peter Collingwood (1922-2008).

Recently my son Phil Swift (Antique Laces – stall 1 Portobello Road) sold a piece of antique lace via the internet to a lady who lived in Kyiv (Ukraine).

Knowledgeable bidders spot a design by Owen Jones on offer in North Yorkshire

Rebecca Scott runs Witney Antiques, which is one of the businesses taking part in this week’s 'Cotswolds Curated' event.

Dealer offers vintage and new design art after more than 30 years in family weaving company

Qing period embroidered satin throne-back cushion covers can be seen still in situ in a number of the buildings in the Forbidden City including the Hall of Supreme Principle and the Palace of Eternal Spring. Others are held by institutions and collectors throughout the world.

Indian talismanic shirts or Qur’an jama were believed to carry protective powers.

Appealing to a range of different types of collectors, Victorian and Edwardian animals pin cushions have their own niche in the novelty silver field.

Still a figure of glamour 450 years after her execution, Mary Queen of Scots was reputed to have embroidered the c.16th century fragment of bed curtain sold at Hansons (25% buyer’s premium) at Etwall on December 7.

Masoud Mazaheri of Bakhtiyar is among the dealers set to appear at LARTA this month.

Left out of the Christie’s sale 20 years ago, but far from remnant-bag pieces, the 11 early needlework items from the Sir Frederick Richmond collection offered at Gildings (20% buyer’s premium) attracted keen interest from UK collectors and specialist dealers.

The Decorative Fair becomes first major event to be held in 2022 after others are postponed.

“From then on, nothing went right. My carpet designs were rejected and my textiles were not required."