Origin: Pennsylvania
Circa: 1885
Materials & Dimensions:
Wool on burlap, professionally mounted 31 × 42 inches

Description:
This exceptional hooked rug was executed by Mrs. Magdalina Briner and her daughter Ellen Eby, whose work represents a small and highly regarded group within American folk textiles. Their rugs are noted for their distinctive, expressive animal imagery and inventive use of colour. The composition features two horses facing one another between fences, each accompanied by a horseshoe above—symbols traditionally associated with good fortune. The scene is animated by striated, multi-coloured bands that create a dynamic, almost abstract background, characteristic of the makers’ imaginative approach.

Reference:
Joel and Kate Kopp, American Hooked and Sewn Rugs: Folk Art Underfoot (1995), with closely related examples illustrated