Hanging, Shells IV

Shells II is one of a series of four shell weavings created by Finnish textile designer Dora Jung (1906-1980). As journalist Charles Talley observed in a 1985 article in FiberArts, the series epitomizes Dora Jung’s ability to “sketch” at the loom, working out and refining a design through successive woven drafts. Indeed, Shells I took a single day to weave; Shells II took two; Shells III, four; and Shells IV, the last and most complex in the series, eight.

Jung is a venerated figure in Finnish textile design, recognized for her mastery of the damask technique and innovative use of abstract natural motifs. Damask combines multiple weave structures to produce a subtle pattern, sometimes only visible in raking light. In Shells II, for example, Jung variegates the tan shell pattern by alternating a weft-faced twill weave and a warp-faced satin weave.

The museum acquired Shells II in the late spring of 1959, shortly after then-curator Alice Beer met Jung during her two-month tour of the United States. It was acquired with a second piece, Pigeons, a linen damask panel with brocaded accents. Beer’s idea was that together, these two examples would demonstrate the breadth of Jung’s work. Reflecting on her trip, Jung signs off a letter to Beer, “My trip round your enormous country was most interesting. I saw beautiful collections…and the nature was marvelous.”

Hanging, Shells IV; Designed by Dora Jung (Finnish, 1906–1980); Finland; linen; H x W: 60 x 57.2 cm (23 5/8 x 22 1/2 in.); Museum purchase from Au Panier Fleuri Fund; 1959-143-2