Museum c1880s Victorian Pictorial Crazy Quilt Top Silk Velvet Embroidery 54x56 For Sale

Purchased from the home of a lifelong collector of Victorian and Edwardian artifacts, this late 19th-century crazy quilt top measures approximately 54in x 56 inches.What really sets it apart is the amount of personally chosen hand embroidered pictures worked throughout the piece, as well as the bright and vibrant thread and fabric. Many quilters who had the chance to use dyed thread did not store them in a way where it wouldn’t fade. The thread is vibrant and holding strong. Hidden within the quilt top are flowers, leaves, fruit, a horseshoe, Victorian shoe, racket, comet/shooting-star motif and other small images, all surrounding a large multicolor butterfly at the center. The mix of velvet, satin, silk-like fabrics, plaids and heavier textiles gives it incredible depth and color. Photos of the individual motifs have not been edited and were taken with phone. This piece is even more beautiful in person. Overall it is remarkably vibrant for its age, with some age-related splitting to a few delicate fabric sections and some loose/incomplete stitching along the outer edge. It had been stored in a vacuum-sealed bag for many years and will be packaged with great care.