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“Come live with me and be my Love,
And we will all the pleasures prove
That hills and valleys, dale and field,
And all the craggy mountains yield.
There will we sit upon the rocks
And see the shepherds feed their flocks,
By shallow rivers, to whose falls
Melodious birds sing madrigals."
- The Passionate Shepherd to His Love,
Christopher Marlowe
Idyllic, pastoral settings have long been
the fertile soil for the imaginations of poets and painters. Virgil's
Eclogues, Edmund Spenser's The Shepheardes Calendar, John Milton's
Lycidas, and Alexander Pope's Pastorals are among the poetic fruit
that has sprouted from the pastoral tradition.
In addition, painters have received
inspiration from pastoral landscapes. Such renowned artists as Claude Lorrain,
Henri Poussin and Jean-Antoine Watteau prominently depicted idyllic landscapes
in many of their paintings; although Giorgione's Fête champêtre (Pastoral Concert)
is perhaps the best known pastoral painting.
Depictions of pastoral scenes are also
common in textiles, particularly toile fabrics. Idyllic Days Toile: Spa is part
of this tradition. The design of this beautiful toile fabric is composed of
country life scenes in chocolate over a spa-colored background. Spa is a color
that is something of a cross between aqua and turquoise. The print shows the
inhabitants of a Victorian village spending their day in gaiety.
In one scene an elegant lady is shown
impishly swinging on a makeshift swing while her friends cavort off to the side.
Another scene shows a country picnic with a well arrayed table. Further off is a
group of five singing songs to the accompaniment of a lute. Amid the bustle, a
lothario furtively attempts to woo two ladies at once; apparently his courage
has been fortified with the contents of the wine jug he is holding. Finally,
before an Arcadian fountain, can be seen two ladies and a gentleman, perhaps
sharing the latest gossip or archly observing the frolicking around them.
While the goings-on in the aforementioned
scenes are open to interpretation, there can be no disagreeing that this elegant
toile fabric will enrich your home decor. Libraries, studies, living rooms,
dining rooms and offices are ideal places to display Idyllic Days Toile: Spa.
This designer fabric is suitable for curtains, seat covers, table covers,
bedspreads, decorative pillows, slipcovers, wall hangings and much more.