Applique Bedspread

Rose Campbell-Gerke

National Gallery of Art

This is a painting of an embroidered image depicting a ship at sea surrounded by floral designs. The piece features a central motif of a sailing ship with a golden crown and red flag upon its mast, gliding over light blue waves. Above the ship, there is a verse or message written in a reddish script, arching across the sky. The ship is framed by a double arc, one resembling a rainbow. Encircling the scene are symmetrical floral vines displaying a vibrant array of flowers and leaves in shades of red, yellow, green, and blue. The entire composition is bordered with a zig-zag pattern in red. The painting is in a naive or folk art style.