Covers made for chairs, settees and stools are among the richest sources of eighteenth century pictorial needlework. Sets were embroidered often with a mix of pastoral, biblical and classical scenes, enclosed in approximately matching floral wreathes to give unity to the set. They were undertaken both by professional workshops, and by amateur needlewomen, patrticularly in the form of canvaswork, which was usually worked in the basic counted thread stitches of tent stitch and cross stitch, learnt by most girls as part of their needlework education. Skill at needlework was considered an accomplishment in women, who could demonstrate their expertise by embroidering decorative yet functional items such as chair seats. Sometimes furniture was commissioned specifically to accommodate and display fine embroidery. Engraved illustrations in public circulation might be copied directly or indirectly, to provide subject matter. canvaswork chair seat, hunting party, 1730-50, English This embroidered panel comes from a set of more than 20 intended as covers for chairs and a settee. The scenes depicted on them vary between mythology and pastoral or seasonal pursuits, like skating, but are all characterised by beguiling figures in idealised landscapes, surrounded by abundant flowers. This panel shows a hunting party, with a fashionably dressed lady, and gentlemen. Covers made for chairs, settees and stools are among the richest sources of eighteenth century pictorial needlework. They were undertaken both by professional workshops, and by amateur needlewomen, particularly in the form of canvaswork. This was usually worked in the basic counted thread stitches of tent stitch and cross stitch, learnt by most girls as part of their needlework education. Skill at needlework was considered an accomplishment in women, who could demonstrate their expertise by embroidering decorative yet functional items such as chair seats. While most of the embroidery here is in tent stitch, the faces and hands of the figures are additionally embroidered over with a type of speckling stitch, which gives texture and allows for great subtlety in shading the flesh tones. This work is of very high quality, and indicates the embroidery was done in a professional workshop, rather than domestically, which was the story associated with them in the donor's family. Chair seat, embroidered in wools and a little silk mostly in tent stitch on canvas ground. The central scene is of a hunting party. A lady is seated in the centre holding a long-barrelled gun, with dead game at her feet. To either side are two gentlemen standing, one gesturing to his left, the other blowing a hunting horn, with a white dog at his feet. While most of the embroidery is in tent stitch, the faces and hands of the figures are additionally embroidered over with a type of speckling stitch, which gives texture and allows for great subtlety in shading the flesh tones. There is a deep surround of intertwining flowers, mostly stylized large blooms, on a brown ground. These and the central scene are worked in a range of colours originally vibrant, whose brightness is retained on the reverse. The embroidery has been pulled into a parallelogram shape by the embroidery stitches. It retains its bare canvas edges, which show no signs of the seat having been used. The canvas has selvedges at top and bottom, and is hemmed at each side. On the canvas edges to the left and right of the worked seat are areas of trial embroidery stitches carried out in pink black and yellow wool.