A woven textile sample with a forest scene formed by staggered repeats of grouped black leafless saplings out of which leaps a gold gazelle (or deer) followed by a silver bird, against a brilliant green satin background. Each gazelle leaps in one direction with their head turned back to face the bird approaching in flight with outstretched talons. The orientation is reversed when the motif repeats on the next line, with two gazelle/bird pairs per line. Some of the saplings’ branches are bent in the same direction of the gazelle's leap. This, together with the posture of the gazelle and of the bird, suggests a dynamic of hunting, hiding and fleeing.

There is one other image of this object. See our image rights statement.

See more objects with the tag pattern, hunting, falcon, deer, silk, textiles, metallic thread.

Object Timeline

-0001	We photographed this object.
1920	Work on this object began.
1930	Work on this object ended.
1997	We acquired this object.
2015	This was an Object of the Day.
2016	We photographed this object.
2017	We exhibited this object.
2024	You found it!

Textile, Falcon Hunt

This is a Textile. It was designed by Herman A. Elsberg. It is dated 1920–1930 and we acquired it in 1997. Its medium is silk, metallic thread (metallic threads are wrapped on a core of cotton thread) and its technique is jacquard woven with green warp, blue and gold alternating weft, and gold and silver brocading. It is a part of the Textiles department.

American textile designer and collector Herman A. Elsberg produced two different colorways of Falcon Hunt (about 1920–30) in his factory in Lyon, France. They show an affinity for Persian drawings often seen in the margins of manuscripts. The green version originally belonged to Paramount Studios.

This object was featured in our Object of the Week series in a post titled The Collector as Designer.

It is credited Gift of Robert Fletcher.

Ribbon Samples (France)
silk, metallic thread.
Anonymous bequest in memory of Albert and Rebecca Elsberg.
1938-82-123-a/g

Tapestry, Nightless Night, from the Reveille series

Tapestry, Nightless Night, from the Reveille series
jacquard-woven mohair and rubber.
Courtesy of Kustaa Saksi.
15.2015.1

Sidewall, Le Marin [The Sailor]
block-printed on paper.
Gift of Frankl Galleries.
1930-11-1-e

Our curators have highlighted 2 objects that are related to this one.

Textile, Falcon Hunt
silk warp and weft, gold thread is s-wrapped foil, over 2-ply z-twisted cotton.
Gift of Jean Mailey.
1954-170-7

Sidewall, Amazone
machine printed paper.
Gift of Teresa Kilham.
1958-80-5

Its dimensions are

Warp x Weft: 265.1 × 102.2 cm (8 ft. 8 3/8 in. × 40 1/4 in.)

Cite this object as

Textile, Falcon Hunt; Designed by Herman A. Elsberg (American, 1869–1938); France; silk, metallic thread (metallic threads are wrapped on a core of cotton thread); Warp x Weft: 265.1 × 102.2 cm (8 ft. 8 3/8 in. × 40 1/4 in.); Gift of Robert Fletcher; 1997-112-1

This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition The Jazz Age: American Style in the 1920s.

Short URL http://cprhw.tt/o/2DBnk/
Accession Number 1997-112-1
Object ID 18654617