Silk embroidery, Jeptha's Rash Vow, Hartford, CT c.1820 This is a beautiful example of an antique silk embroidery wrought by a young anonymous student at Lydia Royse's school in Hartford, CT circa 1820. It depicts Jephta returning home to the warm greetings of his lovely daughter after vanquishing his foes in a war. His displeasure in her arrival is evident in his body language. This stems from a vow he made with the Lord that if he won the war he would sacrifice the first thing that greeted him when he returned home. It is a classic Old Testament story teaching one not to make promises lightly. The exquisite needlework, highly developed frame, and reverse gold painted glass puts this in the highest category of important American antique silk embroideries. The shimmer of the silk threads combined with the stitching technique and the reflections from the glass and frame, as in many silk embroideries, are skillfully combined to enhance the viewing experience not only in normal light but also in candle light. Silk and watercolor on silk; frame size 26 1/2" x 29". Price $48,000 STEPHEN & CAROL HUBER (860) 388-6809 View Other Silk Embroidered Pictures