1660 / 1680, England
1 of 2
1660 / 1680, England
- Identifier
- 351-1886
- Collection
- Technique
- Embroidery 100%
- Embroidery 94%
- Embroidery 100%
- Embroidery 92%
- Embroidery 99%
- Depiction
- Floral motif 62%
- Floral motif 74%
- Floral motif 62%
- Dimension
- 4.5 cm (depth)76 cm (height)61 cm (width)
- Production time
- Production place
- Type of object
Description
British Galleries:
EMBROIDERED MIRROR FRAME AND UNFINISHED FRAME
From about 1660 to 1680 a popular activity for amateur needlewomen was the embroidery of frames for mirrors. The maker may have drawn out the motifs herself, or bought a ready-drawn panel. The unfinished panel shows that the maker had worked some areas in great detail before starting on new motifs. Both panels use common imagery such as the King and Queen and characters from the Bible. [27/03/2003] Object Type
Mirror glass had a considerable intrinsic value in the 17th century, and the presence of a relatively small piece could be increased with a broad decorated frame. The decoration of mirror frames with a wide inner border of embroidery like this one seems to have been a popular accomplishment of amateur needlewomen particularly between about 1660 and 1680.
Design & Designing
The subjects and styles of embroidery chosen for mirror frames were close to those used for caskets, pictures, and other domestic items worked at home. Motifs were copied from pattern books and prints, or the satin panels could be bought already drawn out as 'kits'.
Subjects Depicted
This mirror has a king and queen flanking its centre, which was one of the most popular choices of subject. Sometimes they were specifically depicted as King Charles II and Queen Catherine of Braganza, and sometimes they were stock figures who could be representing King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, or other kings and queens from the Old Testament of the Bible. embroidered, 1650-1680, English; Raised work Silk and metal purl on silk; tent, satin and rococo stitches, with buttonholing, darned silk pile and couched work; parts raised by padding.
From about 1660 to 1680 a popular activity for amateur needlewomen was the embroidery of frames for mirrors. The maker may have drawn out the motifs herself, or bought a ready-drawn panel. The unfinished panel shows that the maker had worked some areas in great detail before starting on new motifs. Both panels use common imagery such as the King and Queen and characters from the Bible. [27/03/2003] Object Type
Mirror glass had a considerable intrinsic value in the 17th century, and the presence of a relatively small piece could be increased with a broad decorated frame. The decoration of mirror frames with a wide inner border of embroidery like this one seems to have been a popular accomplishment of amateur needlewomen particularly between about 1660 and 1680.
Design & Designing
The subjects and styles of embroidery chosen for mirror frames were close to those used for caskets, pictures, and other domestic items worked at home. Motifs were copied from pattern books and prints, or the satin panels could be bought already drawn out as 'kits'.
Subjects Depicted
This mirror has a king and queen flanking its centre, which was one of the most popular choices of subject. Sometimes they were specifically depicted as King Charles II and Queen Catherine of Braganza, and sometimes they were stock figures who could be representing King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, or other kings and queens from the Old Testament of the Bible. embroidered, 1650-1680, English; Raised work Silk and metal purl on silk; tent, satin and rococo stitches, with buttonholing, darned silk pile and couched work; parts raised by padding.
