QUILT INDEX RECORD

11-37-6994

Essay:

A Green Lowland of Pianos
1992
Rhoda Cohen
Weston, Massachusetts
73"w x 104"h
Hand pieced; hand appliqué & reverse appliqué; hand quilted
Cotton, blend, Japanese, African, sky dye, metallic, & iridescent fabrics

Rhoda Cohen is recognized for her painterly approach to quiltmaking. Her original all-over design features grand pianos. The inspiration for the quilt is "A Green Lowland of Pianos" Op. 45 No. 2 by Barber, words by Czeskaw Milosz, from the Polish of Jerzy Harasymowicz.

In the evening as far as the eye can see
herds of black pianos
Up to their knees in the mire they listen
to the frogs
They gurgle in water with cords of rapture
They are entranced by froggish, moonish spontaneity

After the vacation they cause scandal in a
concert hall during the artistic milking
Suddenly they lie down like cows
Looking with indifference at the white flowers
of the audience
at the gesticulating of the ushers
black pianos, black pianos

Gift of Rhoda Cohen, 1999.14

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Massachusetts Quilt Documentation Project - MassQuilts

Who documented this quilt?

Massachusetts Quilt Documentation Project, MassQuilts; New England Quilt Museum Collection

MASS-Quilts ID Number:

5401

Alternate inventory control number:

NEQM# 1999.14

Ownership of this quilt is:

Public Museum, Library or Institution

Quilt owner:

New England Quilt Museum

Quilt owner's city:

Lowell

Quilt owner's state:

Massachusetts (MA)

Quilt owner's county:

Middlesex

Quilt owner's country:

United States

Width:

73

Length:

104.5

Quilt's title:

A Green Lowland of Pianos

Quilt top made by:

Cohen, Rhoda

Quiltmaker's state:

Massachusetts (MA)

Quiltmaker's city:

Weston

Quiltmaker's country:

United States

How did owner acquire quilt?

Gift

Where the quilt was made, city:

Weston

Where the quilt was made, state:

Massachusetts (MA)

Where the quilt was made, country:

United States

Time period:

1976-1999

When was the quilt finished?

1992

Format:

Finished quilt

Technique, applique:

Hand Applique

Fabric fibers:

Cotton

Patterns:

Print

Describe the fibers or fabrics in the quilt top:

lame', plain weave

Predominant colors:

Blue or Navy

Overall color scheme:

Multicolor

Quilting:

Hand quilting

Motif design, overall:

Outline

Quilting stitches per inch, place 1:

6

Width between quilting lines:

1-5"

Border; technique, fiber, weave, pattern:

Cotton, print, plain weave, impression of a border/applique blends into border

Binding and edging:

Separate binding applied

Binding; fiber:

Cotton

Binding; weave:

Plain weave

Binding; pattern:

patterned fabric

Batting:

Cotton or polyester blend

Backing, number of pieces:

three pieces

Backing, fiber:

Cotton

Backing, weave and pattern:

pink/aqua/yellow/purple

Inscription, type:

Signature

Inscription, content:

Rhoda Cohen '91/Poem

Describe where the inscription was found:

on front

Inscription, technique:

Embroidery

Describe the method used to inscribe the quilt:

label on back

Condition:

Excellent/like new

Condition, structurally sound?

This quilt is structurally sound.

Pattern name, variations and comments:

Pictorial

Details

• 
• 

Date estimated by an antique dealer, quilt historian or appraiser:

1992

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

New England Quilt Museum