Name/Title
Towel, Wallhanging: Motif Gourmet, Onions 281, OrangeDescription
NOTE: TEMP PHOTO.
A four-color silkscreen print on off-white linen depicting members of the onion family: onions, garlic, chives, shallots, and leeks as well as tools for cooking: a cutting board, mezzaluna choppers, a footed cast iron pot, and oil and vinegar bottles.
This print is from Country Prints’ “Motif Gourmet” collection, a decidedly design-forward line of modern compositions that step away from Wert’s usual Americana themes; a highly stylized composition of type and imagery typical of the 1960’s. This design was available in turquoise or orange colorways; this example is in orange.
This towel appears in the brochure “Country Prints by Robert Darr Wert and Neighbors”, c.1966; see images.
The brown printing in this example is quite off-register. It was acquired from an eBay vendor in Greenfield MA (near Gill), and may have been purchased by the original owner at one of Country Prints’ annual fall sales of “slight seconds”. It was acquired with a Motif Gourmet “Cheese” towel that was likely a test print: it is narrower than usual and also has printing imperfections.Made/Created
Artist Information
Artist
Robert Darr WertRole
ArtistManufacturer
Country PrintsDate made
circa 1965Time Period
20th CenturyPlace
Location
Gill MA.Continent
North AmericaNotes
Edges are serged and bound in a continuous turquoise overlock stitch to coordinate with the print.Inscription/Signature/Marks
“© wert motif GOURMET” and “by hand on pure linen”, lower left and right corners respectively.Material
Textile Ink, Bleached LinenColor
Turquoise, Brick Red, Khaki Green, Black