Aralia (Seerose)

c. 1928

Aralia (Seerose), c. 1928. Josef Frank (Swedish, born Austria, 1885–1967), Haus & Garten (Austrian, est. 1925). Block printed tabby weave linen, loom width; overall: 74.5 x 80.8 cm (29 5/16 x 31 13/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. Edd A. Ruggles 1934.19 An exhibition design sketch for the 1939 Golden Gate International Exhibition in San Francisco envisions this design as upholstery in the pavilion of the Stockholm-based firm Svenskt Tenn. However, Frank originally designed Aralia in the 1920s for his Vienna-based interior design firm Haus & Garten. Imprinted on the edge of this textile are the words Haus & Garten indicating its early date of production in Austria. Using the block printing method, the production of this textile used 17 wood blocks, one for each color in the design.