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1988

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Napkin, The Senses

This is a Napkin. It was company: John Wilson & Sons and designed by Walter Crane. We acquired it in 1988. Its medium is linen warp, silk weft and its technique is 7&1 satin damask. It is a part of the Textiles department.

In the medieval era, a period that Crane studied and evoked in his work, the senses were perceived as windows to the soul. Crane’s lyrical illustrations aimed to bring alive the senses and emulated archaic styles to do so. The allegorical figure of smell, seen here sniffing a bouquet of flowers, was an often-repeated motif in his work

Cite this object as

Napkin, The Senses; Company: John Wilson & Sons (United Kingdom); England; linen warp, silk weft; 1988-80-1

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<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18631977/ |title=Napkin, The Senses |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=2 March 2021 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>