Known for his exploration of curved line, in this piece James’s use of light-dark curvilinear shapes echoes the rhythm of the bourée, a French dance from the seventeenth century famous for its sprightly double-time steps. Rhythms of the dance, reflected in this quilt, appealed to composers such as Handel and Chopin.

Techniques: Machine pieced and quilted
Culture: American
Geographic Location: North America
Credit Line: Gift of Penny Nii and Edward Feigenbaum