Cornflower
Slip
ca. 1600 (made)
ca. 1600 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This slip, one of a small group, depicts a stem of cornflowers. Slips were small, usually floral motifs drawn onto canvas, then embroidered and cut out. They would be applied to a rich backing fabric such as velvet or satin. They were used in various types of furnishing, particularly bed hangings. It was more manageable for the domestic embroiderer to work a small piece of canvas that could be held in the hand than to tackle a large embroidery in a single piece. It was also easier, if necessary, to detach the slips and reapply them to another backing.
Two manuscript notes in the V&A relate to the commissioning of this and a group of other slips. They were apparently written by Anne Sydney, daughter of Sir William Sydney of Penshurst, Kent, who married Sir William Fitzwilliam (1526-1599). They seem to indicate that the slips were worked to commission, but almost certainly by household servants, Mrs Fisher and Mrs Lyell, rather than in a workshop.
Two manuscript notes in the V&A relate to the commissioning of this and a group of other slips. They were apparently written by Anne Sydney, daughter of Sir William Sydney of Penshurst, Kent, who married Sir William Fitzwilliam (1526-1599). They seem to indicate that the slips were worked to commission, but almost certainly by household servants, Mrs Fisher and Mrs Lyell, rather than in a workshop.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Cornflower |
| Materials and techniques | Canvas embroidered with silk |
| Brief description | Slip 'Cornflower'; canvas embroidered with coloured silks, England, ca. 1600 |
| Physical description | Slip made of embroidered canvas with coloured silks. Embroidered in shades of blue, green, yellow, pink, black and white on a canvas ground in tent stitch, and outlined in black. The bottom edge is the selvedge, and the other three edges are turned and hemmed. The ground is not worked. The slip depicts a stiff, upright sprig of cornflowers with a cut stem. |
| Dimensions |
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| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | This slip, one of a small group, depicts a stem of cornflowers. Slips were small, usually floral motifs drawn onto canvas, then embroidered and cut out. They would be applied to a rich backing fabric such as velvet or satin. They were used in various types of furnishing, particularly bed hangings. It was more manageable for the domestic embroiderer to work a small piece of canvas that could be held in the hand than to tackle a large embroidery in a single piece. It was also easier, if necessary, to detach the slips and reapply them to another backing. Two manuscript notes in the V&A relate to the commissioning of this and a group of other slips. They were apparently written by Anne Sydney, daughter of Sir William Sydney of Penshurst, Kent, who married Sir William Fitzwilliam (1526-1599). They seem to indicate that the slips were worked to commission, but almost certainly by household servants, Mrs Fisher and Mrs Lyell, rather than in a workshop. |
| Associated object | |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.47-1972 |
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| Record created | February 22, 2007 |
| Record URL |
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