Hand Embroidered Needlework Fruit Basket Panel Signed Eliza Dated Cartouche 14x1

Hand embroidered needlework panel of a lattice basket overflowing with fruit: melon slices, grapes in two colorways, pears, plums, berries and broad leaves, worked in orange, teal, olive, brown and black on a cream ground. A scroll cartouche at the left is lettered ELIZA with a date beneath it, flanked by small black flower heads. Several stitch types are used, including satin fill, outline and open cross hatch on the basket. The panel is stitched to a mauve pink paper or card mount. Overall size is roughly 14 by 16 inches including the mount. Unframed and unglazed. Condition: the embroidery itself is largely intact with the colors still clear and no significant thread loss. The cream ground carries scattered brown age spots and what appears to be old water staining through the lower center. The mauve mount is heavily toned and stained and is breaking down at all four corners. The date in the cartouche is not cleanly legible in the current photograph, and the design, palette and mount are all consistent with early twentieth century art needlework as well as with an earlier piece, so no year is being claimed in this listing. Additional photographs and measurements are available on request.