According to the pricelist of the Scherrebek workshop this frieze was designed to be mounted above a piano or a couch. The bottom border has a design of terracotta footed cups. Behind them, just like a view from a terrace, appears the endless sea. The dark blue water is disturbed by parallel, lighter blue waves. In contrast to the waves there are seagulls flying over the water, some of them reaching down to grab a fish. The horizon is high above the water, the sky is terracotta, with yellowish clouds. Eckmann follows the decorative, effective principles he used on the larger «Five swans» tapestry. The motifs are clear, the colours are vivid, the border of the tapestry cuts into the main picture, which is typical of folkloric tapestries and thus follows the Art Nouveau tendency of «non-finished» pictures. The sea-scene is not bordered, the top and bottom edges are lined by thin, blue or yellow stripes and are enriched with fringes. As far as we know, seventy-six copies were made of the tapestry described above.
You are all set!
Your first Culture Weekly will arrive this week.