A Beautifully Pale, Wide Cotton Boro Panel: White, Powder Blue, Ecru
mid twentieth century
74" x 33",
This is very unusual--and very beautiful--boro textile. It is unusual because it is so pale in color: the patches can barely be seen, but there are 11 of them, and they are lovely.
The base cloth, an undyed cotton, is wide, which means it was machine woven. On the surface are eleven hand stitched patches, five of which are of a washed-out and faded striped blue: the color of the blue stripes seemed to have bled which has created a very pastel tone of blue.
The other six patches are boldly applied and are various shades of undyed cotton. The stitching, which can be seen in the ample number of photographs that accompany this post, is just gorgeous.
The base cloth does not lay perfectly flat, but such is the case with old cottons, especially those like this one, which has been stitched on and mended so intensively.
This is a real treat and a real find: it is not every day that one comes across this kind of white-on-white/ tone-on-tone boro cloth.
An elegant, subtle beauty.
Recommended.