Sun Apr 19, 2020 09:28 PM

I’ve been looking at a group of sewing pillows that were a popular style shown in early 17th century paintings from the Netherlands. They have padded exteriors and open up like a book with places to store tools and threads. There are couple of extant examples in the Rijksmuseum. This particular one takes its interior designs from a set of prints published by Etienne Delaune. Dated between 1580-1620. Object number BK-NM-3582 https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collection/BK-NM-3582

Entry for Dialectic at the Met with description but no image. Accession number 47.139.105 https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/751090

Arithmetic, another from the same series, dated between 1540-1583. Accession number 2012.136.187.3 https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/399346

You can see a closed pillow in Vermeer’s “The Lacemaker.” It is the blue pillow on the left side with threads spilling out of the side.