Design
Object name
Maker
Organisation
Date made
1876
Place made
Description
Design of 'Salve' in watercolour and gouache, designed by Walter Crane in 1876. The design, the basis of an embroidery featured at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition, features a woman in Roman dress holding a banner that says, 'Salve' ('Greetings').
Content description
A design in paint on paper by Walter Crane, illustrating 'SALVE'. It was designed in 1876 for a Royal School of Art Needlework display in the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. This embroidered display introduced art embroidery to the USA and especially to important designer Candace Wheeler. Illustrated books were produced for those who could not attend the exposition. These books heavily featured the RSAN display at the exposition. This design and its matching design 'VALE' were part of Walter Crane's 'Complete design for Decorating a Room with Hangings.' which was featured p.160 'Gems of the the Centennial Exhibition' by George Ferrus (George Titus) the side panels which went with Salve and Vale were featured and described as 'embroidered in two colors, on a foundation of what is usually called satin-jean' few items from the exhibition exist but amongst them is a five-panel screen now in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum (T.774 to D-1972) also by Walter Crane, it is not known where other parts of this design are located and if they even survive. The Royal School of Needlework is in possession of a matching design by Crane showing 'VALE'.
The background colour for the whole design is brown. The central motif is a woman dressed in a Roman style in a blue dress with an overlaid draped cloth, in the same colour as the background. Her face is looking down to the left. She has brown hair tied into a bun and secured with a headband of the background colour. Her right arm is raised above her head and the left arm is raised so that her hand is level with her shoulder. She is holding a cloth banner which is inscribed 'SALVE', with two small heart shaped leaves on either side. There is a bird with outstretched wings just above her right hand. The background of the central panel has small brown horizontal lines for textural effect and presumably to indicate the background colour for the embroiderer. At the feet of the woman is a large flower, probably a daisy, with one open flower and two buds, at the bottom of the central panel are six smaller plants, possibly wheat, and above the wheat is a stylised sun. All this indicates that 'SALVE' a greeting in Latin also symbolises day in this work and is designed in opposition to its sister work 'VALE' which symbolised goodbye and night-time.
On the left-hand side of the design is a column with a classical design of scrolls and heart shaped leaves coming out of pots, all in brown. The right-hand side of the design has a corresponding column which is not decorated. At the bottom of the design is a decorative plinth with scrolls, leaves, and vases. Each side of the plinth has a small decorative column with the same design as the main large left-hand column. There is a rectangular design with a similar pattern in the middle of the plinth. There is a thin decorative border above and below the plinth, with small plants in and between arches.
Outside the design, there are a number of inscriptions in red, some of which are obscured by the frame. The top right hand corner of which you can only see R, H, S, it probably reads 'Right Hand Side' as the matching design for 'VALE' notes that it is for the 'Left Hand Side' in the same place. There is an inscription in red in the viewer's bottom left corner, of which the only words visible are 'adapting it for cornice, reverse border thus [...] at it appears [...] does above'. Above this inscription is another of which the only words visible are 'worked as drawn[...] the base'. On the top left there is an inscription reading, 'This pattern of pilaster to be repeated in the others'. On the bottom of the paper is a small motif with a crane image, Walter Crane's symbol.
The background colour for the whole design is brown. The central motif is a woman dressed in a Roman style in a blue dress with an overlaid draped cloth, in the same colour as the background. Her face is looking down to the left. She has brown hair tied into a bun and secured with a headband of the background colour. Her right arm is raised above her head and the left arm is raised so that her hand is level with her shoulder. She is holding a cloth banner which is inscribed 'SALVE', with two small heart shaped leaves on either side. There is a bird with outstretched wings just above her right hand. The background of the central panel has small brown horizontal lines for textural effect and presumably to indicate the background colour for the embroiderer. At the feet of the woman is a large flower, probably a daisy, with one open flower and two buds, at the bottom of the central panel are six smaller plants, possibly wheat, and above the wheat is a stylised sun. All this indicates that 'SALVE' a greeting in Latin also symbolises day in this work and is designed in opposition to its sister work 'VALE' which symbolised goodbye and night-time.
On the left-hand side of the design is a column with a classical design of scrolls and heart shaped leaves coming out of pots, all in brown. The right-hand side of the design has a corresponding column which is not decorated. At the bottom of the design is a decorative plinth with scrolls, leaves, and vases. Each side of the plinth has a small decorative column with the same design as the main large left-hand column. There is a rectangular design with a similar pattern in the middle of the plinth. There is a thin decorative border above and below the plinth, with small plants in and between arches.
Outside the design, there are a number of inscriptions in red, some of which are obscured by the frame. The top right hand corner of which you can only see R, H, S, it probably reads 'Right Hand Side' as the matching design for 'VALE' notes that it is for the 'Left Hand Side' in the same place. There is an inscription in red in the viewer's bottom left corner, of which the only words visible are 'adapting it for cornice, reverse border thus [...] at it appears [...] does above'. Above this inscription is another of which the only words visible are 'worked as drawn[...] the base'. On the top left there is an inscription reading, 'This pattern of pilaster to be repeated in the others'. On the bottom of the paper is a small motif with a crane image, Walter Crane's symbol.
Dimensions
height: 240cm
width: 125cm
width: 125cm
Materials
Motifs
Catalogue number
DES.1.1.014
© Royal School of Needlework