Bedspread c. 1938

Charlotte Winter rendered this bedspread, sometime during her long life, using graphite and watercolor. The symbols woven into its design speak volumes. Consider the grapes and vines, ancient symbols of fertility, abundance, and transformation, appearing not only in pagan rituals, but adopted into Christian iconography representing the blood of Christ and spiritual nourishment. Note how Winter frames the center square with these motifs, connecting the personal and the divine. Flowers evoke themes of love, beauty, and the fleeting nature of life. The wheat motifs bordering the lower edge, often seen as symbols of harvest, sustenance, and regeneration, echo ancient agricultural rites and resurface in emblems of communal wealth. The bedspread is more than a mere object. Its symbols, passed through generations, resonate within our collective memory. They evoke subconscious associations, compelling us to contemplate our place within the eternal dance of life, death, and rebirth.