Antique Pillows

Pillows of all shapes and sizes make ideal presents. no home is complete without them and they are always well received. Pillows can be bought for a small or a vast sum, according to the fabrics. Traditionally they were skilfully made using the finest materials and treasured for generations. if it were possible to create a hand made original Pillows in the past it is even simpler now. There is a wealth of inspiration available. Antique textiles, trims, and embroideries make beautiful Pillows with a muted timeless quality.

There is a long history of using the textiles and designs of the past. The use of Antique Pillows in Europe has a history that reflect social, artistic, religious and political trends. Pillows are the simplest way to introduce antique textiles into the home. They can change the entire ambience of a room creating a balance of color and texture. in this way antique Pillows have always been used as a means to soften and decorate our interiors.

The earliest Pillows were formed wrapped around leaves or straw. The Chinese invented silken Pillows and decorative Antique Pillows of linen have been discovered in the pyramids of ancient Egypt. Coptic woven Antique Pillows have been found in early Christian tombs. In classical Greece Pillows were used to provide comfort in austere surroundings. The Romans enjoyed luxuriously upholstered couches. The history of Antique Pillows is intrinsically linked with that textiles. Pillows can be created from silks,tapestries and woven fabrics, printed, embroidered and needlepoint pieces. The variety is infinite. In Britain Pillows have been used at least since Medieval times. They became important in the 16th century when they were used on carved wooden furniture and oak to provide much needed comfort and luxury. They would have had sheep skin linings as in the early quilts, only later were Pillows stuffed with feathers. The desire for more comfortable surroundings coincided with the desire for more decoration. Pillows softened the severity of the wooden furniture. The designs in the textiles mirrored those of the carved wood furniture. Pillows became more sophisticated as more fabrics arrived from abroad, notably Italy. Silks, velvets, damasks and embroideries were embellished with gold threads,crewel work and trimmings, passmenterie, were added.

Tapestry pieces were used to make early Pillows. A tapestry or hanging would be superseded by more fashionable examples in the state rooms. They would then be cut down to fit smaller rooms. the borders were often cut off and re used for window seat upholstery and decorative Pillows. Early cushion covers were often canvas work, fine cross stitch and Irish stitch, which we know as flame stitch, Hungarian, Florentine or Bargello work. This timeless design was popular throughout Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. It was adaptable, simple and fast to work creating a stunning overall effect.

Chastelton House in Oxfordshire, England, has an entire bed chamber with bed walls and decorative items all covered in this work. Intricately stitched tent stitch pictures and samplers made exquisite Pillows. these were worked in silk on fine canvas, they depicted pictorial, mythological or religious scenes.

Gradually silver spangles. gilt threads, beads, mica and more elaborate techniques were introduced. Such pieces evolved into what is called stump work or raised work pictures. These were used for Pillows, caskets, mirror and picture frames throughout the 17th century. Exploration of the new world yielded textiles from further a field. printed cottons from China and India, Crewel work and embroidery in the 'tree of life' design were adopted with enthusiasm.

By the 18th century simple printed textiles of European design, known as Toile's, were fashionable. Originally printed in one color on linen in Ireland or France they evolved into complex repeats. They were skilfully etched onto rollers. Toiles were used to illustrate everything from historical events, pastoral vignettes, innovations, mythical and religious scenes. Toiles were particularly used for bed hangings and domestic furnishing.

During the 18th century French tapestries of exquisite quality and intricacy furnished the great houses of Europe. woven notably in Aubusson and Bauvais they were designed by Boucher, Fraganard and the French court painters. These tapestries were used for carpets, hangings, upholstery, Pillows and screens making them both versatile and practical. The 18th century also produced exquisite naturalistic stylised floral silks and needlepoint. The 19th century saw the printing of textiles and fabrics advance technologically with the beginnings of the industrial revolution.