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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;lizjewel, post: 1595169, member: 13874&quot;]Hi, am new to the board, great seeing so much activity! With a small background in textiles from different cultures I&#039;d like to offer my view:&nbsp; I totally agree with <b>2manybooks</b> that this most likely is a piece cut from a longer cloth. Also, that very obviously it is not embroidered but the design woven with supplementary wefts like rugs. </p><p><br /></p><p>The fabric is likely a fairly coarse linen to allow for such a heavy weave, and, yes, the front is definitely the white design on black. </p><p><br /></p><p>The motifs are romantic, patriotic and religious: The two birds facing each other with a flower between them speaks to romance, the joining of a couple. The little fox or dog is an animal perhaps used in hunting, thus symbolizes food, abundance, survival, faith in the future. The double-headed eagle is a stylized version of the ruler&#039;s emblem, a humble nod to the country&#039;s authority, i e patriotism. The repeated birds, similar but not alike - see last. second and third bird row from bottom - are all different from the top pair of birds&nbsp; and may symbolize fecundity, offspring, a large family. </p><p><br /></p><p>In a leap of imagination, I believe this cloth was once very long (see cut side on right)and may have been attached to or draped around the top of a bed canapy for a bridal couple&#039;s first night. </p><p><br /></p><p>As to country of origin I can confirm that it definitely is NOT Scandinavian. I am a native Swede so trust me on this one. </p><p><br /></p><p>I guess that most likely it was woven in a country where Catholicism or Orthodoxy was/is the prevailing religion, such as around the Mediterranean, including France. Of course, let us not leave out Russia, Austria, Germany, Poland or the Baltic countries, or any of the former countries in regions where faith played a big role in folk traditions. Especially where very serious nuptial traditions were observed, maybe even today. I likewise do not exclude any South American or island countries where very old nuptial traditions are strong. </p><p><br /></p><p>If the home where this cloth was found once held to such traditions the lady who so lovingly preserved it may have wanted to keep this little piece as a special memento of her own marriage.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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