Elizabeth thumbnail 1
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Not currently on display at the V&A

Elizabeth

Furnishing Fabric
2002 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The inspiration behind this design is the ornate skirt in a portrait of Elizabeth I which hangs in Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire. In the portrait Elizabeth I is dressed in the fashin of the late 1590's in the Queen's colours - white for virginity and black for constancy. She wears a black velvet gown covered in pearls and jewels and a spectacular stomacher and petticoat featuring flowers, birds and sea monsters. The skirt and stomacher are thought to have been a gift to the Queen from Bess of Hardwick, the pattern of flowers and beasts is both symbolic and reflects an interest in the wider, more exotic world gleaned from Elizabethan exploration. The Marvic studio has taken many of the floral elements, eglantines, pinks, pansies and irises, from the original embroidery and added contemporary motifs. The strawberries, dragonflies and butterflies celebrate the relative peace, freedom and environmental awareness of the second Elizabethan age.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleElizabeth (manufacturer's title)
Materials and techniques
woven cotton and viscose
Physical description
One metre length lampas from Jubliee range, duck egg blue, 60% cotton, 40% viscose. The pattern of flowers and birds is created with several different coloured yarns in the weft giving the various elements an embroidered look. 76 cms repeat.
Dimensions
  • Length: 100cm
  • Width: 155cm
Production typeMass produced
Credit line
Given by Marvic Textiles
Historical context
In celebration of Queen Elizabeth II's Jubilee Year, Marvic Textiles launched a new upholstery fabric entitled Elizabeth. The inspiration behind the design is the ornate skirt in a portrait of Elizabeth I which hangs in Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire. In the portrait Elizabeth I is dressed in the fashin of the late 1590's in the Queen's colours - white for virginity and black for constancy. She wears a black velvet gown covered in pearls and jewels and a spectacular stomacher and petticoat featuring flowers, birds and sea monsters. The skirt and stomacher are thought to have been a gift to the Queen from Bess of Hardwick, the pattern of flowers and beasts is both symbolic and reflects an interest in the wider, more exotic world gleaned from Elizabethan exploration. The Marvic studio has taken many of the floral elements and birds from the petticoat to create a lampas redolent of the original embroidery with symbols to celebrate the second Elizabethan age.
Production
Reason For Production: Commemorative
Reason For Production: Retail
Subjects depicted
Associations
Summary
The inspiration behind this design is the ornate skirt in a portrait of Elizabeth I which hangs in Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire. In the portrait Elizabeth I is dressed in the fashin of the late 1590's in the Queen's colours - white for virginity and black for constancy. She wears a black velvet gown covered in pearls and jewels and a spectacular stomacher and petticoat featuring flowers, birds and sea monsters. The skirt and stomacher are thought to have been a gift to the Queen from Bess of Hardwick, the pattern of flowers and beasts is both symbolic and reflects an interest in the wider, more exotic world gleaned from Elizabethan exploration. The Marvic studio has taken many of the floral elements, eglantines, pinks, pansies and irises, from the original embroidery and added contemporary motifs. The strawberries, dragonflies and butterflies celebrate the relative peace, freedom and environmental awareness of the second Elizabethan age.
Bibliographic reference
Queen Elizabeth's Wardrobe Unlock'd, Maney 1988, p. 77-79
Collection
Accession number
T.158-2004

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Record createdAugust 16, 2004
Record URL
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