"APPLIQUE BEDCOVER"

1860-1890

Length: 2.1m
Width: 1.79m

This colourful bedcover with its appliqued design includes numerous heart motifs and the figure of Cupid stalking a couple which suggest it was made as a wedding present. The two hands in red and blue may represent those of the bride and groom and the square and dividers may indicate that the groom was a member of the Masonic order. That he may also have been in the army is suggested by the figure of a man holding a gun and the representation of the Watergate at Enniskillen Castle. Some of the motifs are exotic, in particular the lion and the plumed headgear worn by the male figures, perhaps suggesting military service abroad. The bedcover was probably made between 1860-1890. The original narrow border of appliqued red triangles has survived on only one side; the triangles on the other three sides are printed rather than appliqued and date to a period after 1890

FCM_1987_146