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Charming mid-19th-century pictorial Berlin woolwork/needlepoint depicting a red-coated mounted huntsman on horseback accompanied by a pack of hounds in a landscape. Acquired from an old barn in Southampton, New York, formerly associated with the Southampton Riding Club, where the piece had been used as tack-room décor.
Worked in colored wool on open needlework canvas, the stitched scene has an irregular cut perimeter and has been mounted to an aged tan paper or board ground. It appears to be a surviving fragment or cut-down pictorial panel, possibly preserved from a larger original needlework. The piece has not been removed from the frame, so its original construction and mounting have not been disturbed.
Presented under old glass in a wonderfully worn period-style frame with muted green papered outer trim and dark raised decorative inner trim. The frame shows substantial age and surface wear, including losses, chips and abrasions. The original/early wood backing is heavily aged, with old nails/tacks visible. There is no mounting hardware. Please see photographs.
The needlework itself remains remarkably readable, with the mounted rider, horse, hounds and landscape retaining attractive Victorian colors. There is overall age-related toning, fading, dust/soiling beneath the glass and wear consistent with a textile of this age.
Dimensions are approximately 16 inches by 12 inches.
A wonderfully atmospheric piece of 19th-century equestrian and sporting needlework with a particularly appropriate history!
