Woman's jacket, 1600-25, English; Silk embroidered with silk, metal thread, spangles, 1590s, with a silk shag lining

Woman’s jacket of ivory silk taffeta, backed with coarse bleached linen and embroidered with coloured silk threads, silver filé – full and partially wrapped over white and yellow silk threads – purl and spangles, in a design of large curving vines with roses, columbine, pansies, honeysuckle and strawberries. The embroidery threads run into the seams, indicating that it was probably made from another garment, such as a petticoat, or furnishing, such as a bed cover. The back is 1 piece; neither it nor the 2 fronts are shaped. The sleeves are 1-piece rectangles, with the seam under the arm and open 2 inches (5 cm) at the ends. The jacket is lined with pink silk shag and edged with a ¼ inch (6 mm) wide gauze-woven lace of silver filé.

This early 17th century woman’s jacket is made of silk, a more luxurious fabric than the linen typically used for such garments. However it is made in a loose, informal style not seen in portraiture. The lining of shag (silk velvet with a long pile) suggests the garment was intended for warmth as well as adornment. It is richly embroidered in silver and silver-gilt thread, purl, strip and spangles. The design of roses, columbinem honeysuckle, pansy and strawberries in a symmetrical interlacing of stems is worked in couched work, satin stitch and stem stitch.

173-1869