AFA Winter 2017

42 www.antiquesandfineart.com Winter Discoveries Two Companion Hooked Rugs: “A Safe Voyage” and “There She Blows” American, late 19th century Wool and cotton on burlap; 25 x 35 in.; 26 H x 40 in., respectively Professionally cleaned & mounted Courtesy Leatherwood Antiques, Sandwich, MA Two important naïve, half-round hooked rugs. The first featuring an American ship, representing a typical whaling vessel under full sail, with a long masthead pennon flag, indicating a long excursion at sea, with a wish for a “A Safe Voyage.” The second, an active whaling scene with the words, “There She Blows,” the excited cry called when a whale was spotted, represented here by the pointing figure at the top of the foremast. The whaling industry in New England peaked in the mid-19th century. Whale oil was highly prized for use in lighting, soaps, and foodstuffs, but to attain it meant years at sea; the famous Captain Edward Penniman from Eastham, Cape Cod (the most successful whaling captain in New England), for instance, started a voyage in 1881, his fifth, that lasted four years. Full of color and graphically engaging, these two rugs capture the essence of the industry—an uncertain life filled with fearful emotions grounded in perilous travels that, in the case of whaling, included both excitement and the horrors of entanglement with the intended targets. Found on Cape Cod, the rugs reflect the maker’s experience, whether through family or regional history, with an industry that was both dangerous but economically important to the Cape and islands for several centuries Cradle Lancaster or Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, 1789 Walnut and sulfur inlay H. 22¾, W. 28⅛, D. 38⅜ inches Image courtesy, Winterthur Museum; gift of David A. Schorsch and Eileen M. Smiles Photography by James Schneck According to Lisa Minardi, former assistant curator at Winterthur Museum, Pennsylvania German furniture makers used sulfur inlay as early as 1763 in Lancaster County; it soon spread to other areas of southeastern Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina. The cradle is inlaid with the date “1789” on the footboard and the initials “EV MI” on the headboard, probably for an Eva Miller or similar surname. The shape of the numerals and initials are virtually identical to those on the frieze of a schrank made in 1789 for John and Mary Mennig (Minnich), enabling this cradle to be linked to a distinctive group of sulfur-inlaid furniture made along the present-day border of northern Lancaster and southern Lebanon counties. The cradle also has heart-shape cutouts similar to those found in the backs of Pennsylvania German plank seat chairs ( Brettstühle ) and horizontal projections from either side of the headboard—known as pillow panels—which are diminutive versions of those found on full-size Pennsylvania German bedsteads. Previously part of Ralph Esmerian’s collection, the cradle was recently acquired by David A. Schorsch and Eileen M. Smiles and is now on display in the Kershner Parlor at Winterthur Museum. This walnut cradle is one of more than 100 pieces of sulfur-inlaid furniture examined in the 2015 issue of the American Furniture journal.