Embroidered Workbox
1660-1690 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
Caskets and workboxes were made and used by girls in the 17th century. The girls would decorate small panels with embroidery which would then be sent to a cabinet-maker to be made up into a box. They were often fitted with compartments for sewing and writing as well as a small mirror. Many cabinets also had secret compartments, used to store personal possessions such as jewellery or letters. The high cost of the materials, as well as the skill needed to create these boxes, means they could only have been made in wealthy households.
People
The panels were worked by young girls, aged around 11 or 12, as part of their education. Girls started learning needlework skills aged 6 or 7, first creating a band sampler (see T.433-1990) and then moving on to more complex pieces such as cutwork. Embroidering the panels of a casket or for a mirror (see T.17-1955) appears to have been one of the last stages of a girl’s needlework education. These skills would be useful later in life in the management of a household.
Materials & Designs
Biblical, mythological and classical scenes were all popular themes for decorating caskets. The top of this casket is decorated with a lady holding a basket of fruit and a tulip, possibly the personification of Taste or Smell, both of whom were popular subjects for embroidery.
Caskets and workboxes were made and used by girls in the 17th century. The girls would decorate small panels with embroidery which would then be sent to a cabinet-maker to be made up into a box. They were often fitted with compartments for sewing and writing as well as a small mirror. Many cabinets also had secret compartments, used to store personal possessions such as jewellery or letters. The high cost of the materials, as well as the skill needed to create these boxes, means they could only have been made in wealthy households.
People
The panels were worked by young girls, aged around 11 or 12, as part of their education. Girls started learning needlework skills aged 6 or 7, first creating a band sampler (see T.433-1990) and then moving on to more complex pieces such as cutwork. Embroidering the panels of a casket or for a mirror (see T.17-1955) appears to have been one of the last stages of a girl’s needlework education. These skills would be useful later in life in the management of a household.
Materials & Designs
Biblical, mythological and classical scenes were all popular themes for decorating caskets. The top of this casket is decorated with a lady holding a basket of fruit and a tulip, possibly the personification of Taste or Smell, both of whom were popular subjects for embroidery.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Wood, embroidered silk in silk and metal threads, raised work, beads, mica, marbled paper, lined with padded silk. |
| Brief description | Embroidered Workbox, edged with lacquered wood, English, 1660-1690 |
| Physical description | Rectangular workbox decorated with panels of embroidery and laid work. Decoration Panels of satin edged with lacquer imitating tortoiseshell. Panels are worked in coloured silk thread, metal purl and beads. On the lid, in the centre, a lady in a red dress and blue stole sits, holding a basket of fruit and a tulip, between an acorn-tree with a squirrel and a green leafy tree. She may be the personification of Taste or Smell. Below this scene is fish-pond. On the left hand side of the panel, from top to bottom, are a house with mica windows, a caterpillar, a gaily-coloured parrot in a cherry-tree, a unicorn and a tulip. On the right hand side are a castle with mica windows, a snail, a bird on a branch bearing leaves and fruit, a ladybird and a stag between two flowers. The four sides of the casket are decorated with panels of laid work in a geometrical design of flowers and fruit. The casket is lined with padded pink silk. Inside the lid is a mirror surrounded by a stuck-on design of narrow silver braid. Behind the mirror is a piece of marbled paper, which is also used on the exterior base of the box. Construction Rectangular workbox comprised of panels edged with imitation lacquer. The lid hinges open to reveal interior. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Given by Mrs G. Atkinson and Mrs M. F. Davey |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Object Type Caskets and workboxes were made and used by girls in the 17th century. The girls would decorate small panels with embroidery which would then be sent to a cabinet-maker to be made up into a box. They were often fitted with compartments for sewing and writing as well as a small mirror. Many cabinets also had secret compartments, used to store personal possessions such as jewellery or letters. The high cost of the materials, as well as the skill needed to create these boxes, means they could only have been made in wealthy households. People The panels were worked by young girls, aged around 11 or 12, as part of their education. Girls started learning needlework skills aged 6 or 7, first creating a band sampler (see T.433-1990) and then moving on to more complex pieces such as cutwork. Embroidering the panels of a casket or for a mirror (see T.17-1955) appears to have been one of the last stages of a girl’s needlework education. These skills would be useful later in life in the management of a household. Materials & Designs Biblical, mythological and classical scenes were all popular themes for decorating caskets. The top of this casket is decorated with a lady holding a basket of fruit and a tulip, possibly the personification of Taste or Smell, both of whom were popular subjects for embroidery. |
| Bibliographic reference | King, Donald (ed.), British Textile Design in the Victoria & Albert Museum (Tokyo, 1980), vol. I, colour plate 63. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.186-1960 |
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| Record created | March 10, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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