2009.403

Ceremonial Cloth

Decorah, Iowa, 2009

Cotton on linen

Vesterheim 2009.403.001

Goddesses hold small “trees of life.” They are crowned by large rhombic symbols and are protected by zigzag borders. The emphasis here is on the “tree of life,” long used by shamans and others to reach the upper world shows the hoped for transition for the deceased. These motifs are adapted from a nineteenth-century Norwegian high seat ceremonial cloth in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England (R4 816 1884). The pattern is available in Mary Kelly’s book, Embroidering the Goddesses of Old Norway.

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