CIRCA 1700

These hangings bear the initials 'AM' in red cross stitch, almost certainly for a member of the More family, probably the authoress. The Mores resided at Linley from about 1580, and it is probable that these hangings were part of the furnishings of the old manor house, demolished in the mid-18th Century to make way for the present Palladian house, from which these hangings come. An extremely close comparison can be drawn between this crewelwork and an example in Art Institute of Chicago, dated 1675-1700. Whilst that example is unlikely to be of the same hand the design is extremely close, in particular the near identical bird design, suggesting that they both are likely derived from from the same printed source.