Pole Screen, Scotland, circa 1840
Price: $1100, Framed needlework size: 9¼" x 7¼" Overall height: 21"

We offer this lovely tabletop pole screen with a needlework picture of a highlander: a young Scottish boy with his staff and shield and a feather in his cap. Tiny gold beads were stitched as buttons on his jacket, buckles on his shoes, and down his staff to give it a metallic luster. He stands on a little patch of ground, shaded in greens and browns, which was the common portrayal in this type of work. Images like this, called Berlin Work, had become popular in the middle of the 19th century, named for the patterns that were first published on graph paper in Berlin.

The stand itself is of a finely turned walnut wood. The framed picture is held in place by an adjustable gold painted screw with a floral head. The needlework is comprised of wool thread worked onto a linen ground and is in excellent condition.