Rug (Hooked rug)

Description

Hobbyist rug maker Robert Cawrse Cleverdon designed and made this hooked rug between 1956 and 1958. The rug depicts an alchemical table, with a grid of symbols that each represent a different alchemical element or process. The study of alchemy eventually led to the development of modern chemistry; Cleverdon was a professor of bacteriology at the University of Connecticut, and his scientific background may have inspired this design. Winterthur’s collection includes two other rugs made by Cleverdon: see objects 2017.0019.101.002 and .003. This object is one of a large group transferred to Winterthur from the American Textile History Museum when it closed in 2017.