Fine white silk coverlet

A fine white silk bed coverlet, made for export to Europe. The centre embroidered with two colourful phoenixes in flight circling and an 8-petalled flower head. The main field with scattered flowers on leafy stems and the shaped spandrels with gold buddhist lions with green manes and tails. The border with large flower heads linked by floral stems and birds in flight. The edged with a narrow geometric band and green and white fringe on three sides.

With an attached label. ‘Coverlet of Indian needlework brought from Madras by Colonel Bagshawe of Ford Hall in 1756’

Col. Samuel Bagshawe 1713-1762, had a distinguished military career, serving in Gibraltar, Ireland and India where he was acting as a second-in-command of the British forces in India.

He was MP for Tallow, 1761-1762 and deputy lieutenant for Derbyshire. His home at Ford Hall was in Chapel-en-le-Frith in Derbyshire. 

It is highly unusual to find a piece from this period in such condition. 

For a similar example please see A Tale of Three Cities, Canton, Shanghai and Hong Kong by David S Howard (Sothebys) page 164.