Lectern Cover 1953

This lectern cover was embroidered, by an anonymous artist, probably to be placed on a stand to hold sacred texts. The deep, rich red of the velvet feels so luxurious. It’s almost jewel-like, yet worn. This tension between preciousness and the marks of use gets me thinking about process. All that meticulous stitching, the hours spent on those tiny details. I'm drawn to the lions on either side of the inscribed tablets. They're so stylized, almost cartoonish, but rendered with such care. The stitches are perfect, the metallic thread adding this subtle shimmer. For me, this isn’t just decoration; it’s devotion made tangible. The unknown maker put their heart into it, leaving a legacy in every stitch. It reminds me a bit of some of the anonymous embroidery that you see in the folk art tradition, like the Gee's Bend Quilts, where simple materials become something extraordinary through the act of making. It is in these works, just as in painting, that a conversation between past and present takes place.