Anne Marie Hoke and her Rug and Tapestry Design Inspirations from Biblical Texts

Biblical texts have consistently served as a prominent source of inspiration for Swedish church textiles. Across centuries of Swedish design, intricately embroidered altar cloths and lectern draperies have featured these texts, adorned with beautifully crafted lettering and images that draw inspiration from and illustrate the words of the Bible. While many church-produced rugs showcased decorative patterns inspired by architectural elements or color schemes within the churches, or even abstract designs, a notable number during the period spanning from the 1930s to the 1970s found their inspiration in these biblical verses and passages as well. Hoke’s passion for rugs based on biblical texts started in 1935, with her final high school project being considered as her first tapestry design based on biblical texts. 

Anna Maria Hoke, Den första snön, gobelin tapestry designed 1935 

It’s important to acknowledge that Hoke’s 1935 tapestry, characterized by its charming simplicity, is rooted in a longstanding Scandinavian tapestry tradition that features woven faces. She herself attested to the enriching influence of school visits to Swedish museums on her evolving design sensibilities. Her portrayal of faces in this work appears to draw inspiration from a specific category of weavings—namely, the gobelin weavings produced in Norway during the 17th to 19th centuries. These weavings often depicted Biblical narratives and parables from the New Testament. The image below exemplifies the story of the five wise and five foolish virgins from the Gospel of Matthew (Matt. 25), as the inspiration for her tapestry. Despite the addition of color modeling to the children’s faces, the facial shapes and stylized frontal presentation in Anna Maria’s composition bear a striking resemblance, not to mention the arrangement of buildings in the background.

Minnesota Institute of Art via Creative Commons

In 1935, right after completing her education, Hoke was directly recruited by Barbro Nilsson, who had previously been one of her professors at the Higher Industrial Arts School in Stockholm. She initially started her career as a pattern composer for Johanna Brunsson’s weaving school and her design prowess flourished swiftly, owing much to the influence and mentorship of both Nilsson and the accomplished senior designer Hildegard Dinclau of the Brunsson family.

Over the course of years, Hoke took on leadership roles in several county crafts associations. 

• Värmland, 1938 – 1940 
• Directorship of the Stockholm City and County Craft Association from 1941 – 1944. 
• Artistic director and handicraft consultant for the Gotland County Craft Association,  1946 – 1952, during which she designed a substantial number of church textiles, including rugs, altar cloths referred to as “antependium”, and priests’ robes. 
• Head of the County Craft Association of Västmanlands, 1952 – 1954
• Director of the Kalmar County Craft Association, 1956 – 1960 

Anna-Maria Hoke’s rug in 1960 stands as a particularly intriguing example of rugs based on biblical texts. Hoke, known for her energetic approach, held the position of head at the Kalmar County Crafts Association from 1956 to 1960. During her tenure, she crafted rug designs for several churches on the picturesque island of Öland. Among these was the Gärdslösa church, located on the northeast side of the island, boasting a medieval stone structure dating back to the 12th century. Its stepped-gable and tower were adorned inside with ornate wall paintings on decorative plaster.

“The Lord’s dwelling place” (Herrens Boningar), in place with baptismal font in Gärdslösa Church, Öland, Sweden.

Hoke’s rug, crafted for the Gärdslösa church in 1960, served as a thoughtful and valued addition to this cherished place of worship, blending both aesthetic appeal and practical functionality. Her design draws inspiration from the opening verse of Psalms 84, which, in English, reads, “How lovely are thy dwellings, Lord, my soul longeth, yea fainteth for the courts of the Lord.” In Swedish, this translates to “Hur ljuvliga är dina bostäder Herre, min själ längtar och svimnar för herrens domstolar.”

The rug’s imagery depicts a whimsical medieval castle, characterized by towering roofs, tall windows, and grand portals—a depiction that stands in stark contrast to the serene setting of this countryside church. Nonetheless, it bears numerous scriptural allusions. This could very well be Hoke’s rendition of “the Lord’s dwelling place,” evoking the biblical concept of the “city four-square” and the notion of a triumphant church. A church brochure astutely observes that the four gates or portals symbolize the Four Gospels. The color palette of the rug comprises gentle shades of pink, green, brown, and blue—reminiscent of the hues found in the medieval wall paintings. As noted in a church brochure, these colors “reflect the rich color-play of the church,” creating a harmonious visual resonance with the existing decor.

Below are Anne Marie Hoke’s sketches of rug designs. 

Kalmar Auktionsverk

“The Scandinavian masters were unappreciated in their time, after all. Even now our field has only scratched the surface of understanding the renaissance they brought about. We’ve always striven for our own Scandinavian Collection to be a renaissance of the renaissance — a contribution to the style through equal parts reverence and reimagining of what it could be to a whole new market. In celebration, we’ve elected to share a glimpse into that collection here.”

Read more about our “program“ Scandinavian collection honoring our Scandinavian masters, finest weaving practices, refined techniques and the minimalist Swedish design aesthetics here – https://rugandkilim.com/our-top-10-scandinavian-kilims-today-all-time-favorites-from-the-first-ever-program-by-rug-kilim/ 

We’d love to keep the conversation alive and hear your thoughts on the topic. View our Scandinavian collection with rugs, kilims and flatweaves that are a modern reinterpretation of rugs and the Scandinavian design movement led by Märta Måås-Fjetterström, Barbro Nilsson, Anne Marie Hoke, Marianne Richter and many others, here – https://rugandkilim.com/product-category/scandinavian/