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Object Timeline

1955

  • We acquired this object.

2013

2014

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2024

  • You found it!

Cushion Cover (Greece)

This is a Cushion cover. It is dated 18th century and we acquired it in 1955. Its medium is silk embroidery on linen foundation and its technique is embroidered in counted running stitches on plain weave foundation. It is a part of the Textiles department.

Embroidered textiles from the Greek Islands have a striking diversity that shows various regional influences including Venetian and Turkish silks and the decorative motifs found on pottery and tiles. Thasos, in the northern Aegean Sea, is one of the Sporades Islands and is closest to Thrace in northeastern Greece. Because of its isolation from the other Greek islands and close proximity to the Ottoman Empire, a Turkish influence can be seen in the embroidered patterns. Much that remains of the textiles from Thasos seems limited to long, rectangular cushion covers with geometric patterns that include intersecting triangles and diamond shapes with saw tooth borders. Embroidered using a counted running stitch, the maker of this piece alternated the direction of stitches causing them to reflect the light differently, giving the illusion of three-dimensional space.

This object was donated by Provident Securities Co. and Estate of Mr. & Mrs. William H. Crocker. It is credited Gift of Provident Securities Company from the Estate of Mr. and Mrs. William H. Crocker.

  • Sidewall (USA)
  • machine-printed and varnished paper.
  • Gift of Mr. Robert L. and Mrs. Jean L. Thompson.
  • 1992-157-4

Our curators have highlighted 7 objects that are related to this one. Here are three of them, selected at random:

  • Sidewall, Razzmatazz
  • screenprinted and flocked on machine-made paper.
  • Gift of William Justema.
  • 1969-70-3

Its dimensions are

H x W: 50.8 x 41.9 cm (20 x 16 1/2 in.)

Cite this object as

Cushion Cover (Greece); silk embroidery on linen foundation; H x W: 50.8 x 41.9 cm (20 x 16 1/2 in.); Gift of Provident Securities Company from the Estate of Mr. and Mrs. William H. Crocker; 1955-133-2

This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition Making Design.

This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian’s Terms of Use page.

If you would like to cite this object in a Wikipedia article please use the following template:

<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18402699/ |title=Cushion Cover (Greece) |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=26 April 2024 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>