Description
This single vintage cocktail napkin is a lovely example of hand-embroidered Madeira work, dating from the 1940s to 1950s. Worked on fine, natural linen, the design features a bright peacock rendered in shades of blue, gold, and soft brown, stitched entirely by hand in satin and outline embroidery. The napkin is neatly hemstitched along the border—a traditional finish associated with Madeira linens.
Measuring approximately 7 inches square, this napkin would once have been part of a set, likely of six, created for elegant home entertaining during the midcentury years. Today, it stands alone as a “lonely survivor” of its original ensemble—yet all the more endearing for it. It may someday find its companions again, or simply bring its bright personality to a tray, a bedside table, or a collector’s linen drawer.
The linen retains its fine, crisp texture and the embroidery shows the confident, lively hand typical of Madeira artisans. Such pieces were often sold in fine linen shops or imported by specialty houses that represented Madeira craftsmanship to the American market.
A small treasure of handcrafted whimsy from a gracious era of hospitality—its little peacock still proudly spreading his tail in cheerful color after all these years.
Measurements: 7″ square
Fabric: Fine linen
Edge: Hand hemstitched
Origin: Madeira, Portugal
Date: Circa 1945–1955
Condition: Gently vintage; light age tone consistent with age and use.
