Notes

The tapestry was hand-woven by Marguerite Stephens and includes the original cartoon by the artist, commissioned by Engen.

The present lot hung in the marble-clad foyer of the office.

Stephens Tapestry Studio, operating out of both Johannesburg and Swaziland, is a family-run hand-weaving studio that is currently run by Marguerite's daughter Christine Weavind. Marguerite got her start weaving large tapestries for South African fine artist's after her mother, Coral, volunteered her to weave one of Cecil Skotnes' woodcuts in 1963. The work sold almost immediately, which led to her abandoning her career as an Occupational Therapist to run the studio full time.¹ Going on to collaborate with various artist's, notably William Kentridge, Walter Battiss and Andrew Verster.

The studio creates their tapestries based on an original artwork supplied by the artist. The cartoon will then be dictated onto a piece of paper. A large copy of the artwork will then be laid out and transferred over to the base of the tapestry. The work often undergoes some editing by Marguerite to ensure that it transfers correctly to the fabric medium. To create the looming tapestries, the mohair is carded and spun before being dyed in vats over a wood fire and dried in the sun. Using the French Gobelin technique, the weavers work on vertical looms with Stephens’ cartoon behind them, creating the tapestry from the bottom up.²

¹(no date) Stephens Tapestry Studio, Our Story, online, https://stephenstapestrystudio.com/pages/about-us, accessed 18 August 2025.

²Matthew Freemantle (2015) Matthew Freemantle, Interview with Marguerite Stephens, online, https://mafreemantle.tumblr.com/post/121754365996/interview-with-marguerite-stephens, accessed 18 August 2025.

Provenance

The Engen Collection.