Elizabethan cushion cover in Cotswolds

A rare Elizabethan cushion cover is set to go under the hammer in the Cotswolds for between £3,000 and £5,000.

The embroidered linen cushion cover – worked in coloured silks with silver and silver gilt threads – is of museum quality and is expected to attract interest from private collectors and institutions.

The colours are particularly vivid for an example of embroidered fabric from the period – the cushion cover has been dated to the late 16th/early 17th century and few of this quality survive.

Auctioneer at The Cotswold Auction Company, Lindsey Braune, said: “This is a truly exceptional and very rare example of an embroidered cushion cover from the Elizabethan age.

“Fabrics usually fade over time, but this cushion cover has clearly been kept out of the light and retains the same gorgeous colours as when it was first stitched.

“We feel privileged to be able to offer an example of such high quality, and anticipate strong interest, from both the UK and internationally.”

The cover has all-over scrolling foliage decoration, with Tudor roses, cornflowers, yellow daisies, pomegranates and other fruit, and the borders are of silver and silver gilt lace.

The cushion cover forms part of The Cotswold Auction Company’s August 8 sale of Modern Art and Design, Vintage Fashion and Textiles.