One of a pair of French silk and chenille needlework pictures. Painted hands and faces. Like so many handcrafts of the past, the creation of embroidered pictures is almost a forgotten art. Yet, this was one of the most popular pastimes for English ladies of the 18th and 19th centuries. Now these pieces are expensive collector items selling at auction for hundreds of dollars.
Prices depend on eye appeal and the skills of the embroiderer.
Copies of famous paintings were translated into fine silk and chenille. Faces, arms, and legs were often painted in. Popular subjects were taken from the Old Testament, as well as allegorical figures of the vices and virtues of kings and queens. They were meant to be hung on the wall, as were the originals. The most highly valued were those that combined stitching with painting.