Saturday 11 February 2017

St Christopher's Church at the V&A - Vineyard poplins

One of the Luther Hooper pieces I saw at the Victoria & Albert Museum's Clothworkers Hall was not attributed to St Christopher's Church, but the motifs in the fabric were reminiscent of St Christopher's Church Vineyard Poplin woven hanging by the St Edmundsbury Weaving Works (which I posted on here).  This woven silk sample is described by the V&A as a 17th century design.

Luther Hooper silk damask
T.274-1970, Victoria & Albert Museum

The vine leaves, grapes, corn and what could be a corncrake?  Which is exactly the same content as on the Vineyard Poplin.  The corncrake hiding in the corn looks a bit odd in the Luther Hooper silk, but I cannot make out what else it could be?

Vineyard Poplin, St Edmundsbury Weaving Works
St Christopher's Church, Haslemere

Luther Hooper silk damask
T.274-1970 Victoria & Albert Museum

St Christopher's Church at the V&A - the Curtains

Back in January 2013 I wrote (in this post) about my discovery that the silk damask curtains or 'furnishing fabric' designed by Luther Hooper for St Christopher's Church are at the Victoria & Albert Museum.  There were no photographs of the fabric, just the description: "silk damask. With a design of clover leaves alternating with the monogram 'I.H.S', set in gothic ogives which are combined with palmette and beaded band  ornament in white on a red ground" (V&A website entry here)

Seeing the fabric itself, I quickly concluded that it was not in any of the photographs that I had seen of St Christopher's Church.  The colours were vibrant, and the 'white background' seemed to be more like silver.  I wonder where in the church this fabric would have been?  I have just come across a postcard of the church in 1904 where there is a curtain across the top window, maybe this is a curtain of the fabric?

St Christopher's Church postcard c.1904
Haslemere

The V&A have added photographs of the damask that are better than mine, but they have photographed the damask with the 'IHS' back to front!

Luther Hooper silk damask
made for St Christopher's Church
T.35-1953, Victoria & Albert Museum









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