Mirakel (Miracle)

c. 1925–30

Mirakel (Miracle), c. 1925–30. Josef Frank (Swedish, born Austria, 1885–1967), Haus & Garten (Austrian, est. 1925). Plain weave bleached linen, loom width, block printed; overall: 95.7 x 121.3 cm (37 11/16 x 47 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Educational Purchase Fund 1937.183 Named for the technical “miracle” that is this textile’s stacked rotating design, Mirakel is still produced by the Stockholm-based interior design firm Svenskt Tenn. Though the design is now screenprinted in Sweden, this textile fragment was block printed by Josef Frank’s Austrian firm Haus & Garten, giving it an earlier production date. The design features imaginary flowers and sinuous vines, signature design elements of Frank’s textiles. Josef Frank often layered patterns; the background uses a dotted pattern that could evoke a placid pond or a starry sky.