Minneapolis Institute of Art

Bed cover

Italy

Date

17th century

Medium

Linen, silk, cross stitch embroidery

Department

European Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

This bed cover is part of a larger set of bed linens that includes six curtains, a valance and a head panel. In the sixteenth century bed curtains served a variety of functions apart from mere decoration. They not only provided privacy, they could protect the sleeper from intruding insects and creatures, and they were an important means of retaining warmth in an era preceding the invention of central heating. Image Italy, Europe

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