Textiles

Textile design includes tapestries and quilts as well as smaller pieces of embroidery like samplers, conceived to demonstrate a variety of stitchwork.

This form has attracted modern artists such as Picasso, Matisse and Henry Moore but antique examples by both named and unnamed hands are also a popular collecting area.


Engraving of Lord Nelson

Rare decorated Nelson print catches the imagination in Cambridge auction

02 October 2026

Prints based on John Hoppner’s (1758-1810) famous portrait of Lord Nelson proliferated throughout the 19th century. Today plenty of examples appear on the market with non-distinct copies tending to make under £200.

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Wall hangings, samplers and underwear wow textile fans

18 September 2026

Tennants (24% buyer’s premium) recorded some impressive results in its latest Fashion, Costume and Textiles sale.

Christopher Legge

Dealer Christopher Legge’s textiles collection on offer at Mallams

28 August 2026

Oxford rug dealer Christopher Legge has consigned items from his collection to auction.

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Chair from c.1680 emerges at auction retaining original upholstery

21 August 2026

Brilliantly coloured design in the Chinese manner caught the eye of famous collector and connoisseur

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Isfahan to Islington: tiles ended up with ‘almost legendary’ dealer Jack Webb

21 August 2026

Safavid examples from the north London dealer's collection find their latest homes after palace demolition

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Named collections make a memorable sale in Essex

07 August 2026

Collections from renowned individuals capture the attention with a wide and varied selection of lots

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Rug extends Blackadder coverage

07 August 2026

Textiles maintain relationship between Edinburgh studios and the Mod Brit artist even after her death

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Whitework panel hailed as one of the earliest ‘samplers’

17 July 2026

Example dating to 1662 might have touted English master craftswoman’s skills

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Executed king immortalised in silkwork miniature

26 June 2026

A rare English silkwork portrait miniature of Charles I sold well above its £3000-5000 estimate for £24,000 at a Bonhams (28/27% buyer’s premium) sale that ran online from June 2-16.

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Eclectic charm in Holland Park

26 June 2026

The contents of the London home furnished by a renowned Christie’s auctioneer and a distinguished interior decorator emerged at Dreweatts (27/26% buyer’s premium) earlier this month.

The Queen Esther tapestry

Tudor tapestry rediscovered at TEFAF Maastricht returns to National Trust home in Norfolk after a century away

19 June 2026

One of a group of seven 16th century tapestries that hung in Oxburgh Hall in Norfolk until they were sold at auction in 1924 has returned home after the National Trust was able to purchase it from an antiques dealer following TEFAF Maastricht last year.

Liberty Oriental Carpets

Liberty’s antique rugs, carpets and textiles offering comes to an end

22 May 2026

The last antique rugs, carpets and textiles concession in a London department store closes this month.

Medieval Royal heraldic embroideries

Medieval Royal heraldic embroideries come to auction this summer

14 May 2026

A pair of late Medieval Royal heraldic embroideries with a Spanish connection will be offered at Bonhams on July 2 with a £200,000-300,000 estimate.

Renaissance tapestry

Monumental 16th century Italian tapestry to be restored thanks to TEFAF Museum Restoration Fund

29 April 2026

A huge wool and silk tapestry titled The Meeting of Dante and Virgil and dated to 1546-49 will be restored with funding from The European Fine Art Foundation (TEFAF) Museum Restoration Fund.

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Chinese cushion cover came from British military source

10 April 2026

The March 3-4 sale at Chorley’s (25% buyer’s premium) in Prinknash Abbey, Gloucestershire, was topped by a good example of Qing imperial needlework: a yellow ground silk and metal thread cushion cover.

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The collection of dealer Paul Fitzsimmons: a life in oak told across 700 lots in a Salisbury saleroom

27 March 2026

Specialist dealer sells items from his collection in two-day auction as he heads towards semi-retirement

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Bidders see the point of needlework

20 March 2026

A diminutive but rare mid-17th century needlework picture sold for £11,000 in Tennants’ (24% buyer’s premium) latest Fashion, Costume and Textiles Sale.

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‘Dora's’ sampler brings demand in Bath auction

13 March 2026

The New Orphan Houses in the Ashley Down district in the north of Bristol were once the largest orphanages in the UK.

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Furnished in the grand manner: Corby Castle brought grandeur to Cumbria

27 February 2026

Extensive contents of Cumbrian castle take three days to sell in North Yorkshire auction

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School more successful at drawing in artists than teaching German

06 February 2026

When north German pastor Johannes Jacobsen founded a school of weaving in the then German-Danish border town of Scherrebek in 1896, his intention was driven by nationalism.

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