Now on permanent loan to Oxburgh Hall, in Norfolk, the embroideries on this valance were made between 1569 and about 1585. They are part of a body of needlework done by Mary Queen of Scots during her imprisonment in England and Elizabeth (Bess) Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury. Bess's husband George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury was responsible for Mary and she stayed at one or other of the Shrewsbury' estates.

Embroidery was a conventional occupation for wealthy and elite women in the 16th century. Most of the motifs depicted were copied from the wood-cut illustrations of emblem books and natural histories by well-known authors such as Claud Paradin, Conrad Gessner, Pierre Belon. These often represented sentiments and morals from classical literature and contemporary folklore and so can convey hidden meaning.

This valance comprises 13 cross-shaped panels of canvas work (stitching over the threads of a coarsely woven linen) in coloured silks, silver and silver-gilt thread, mounted on green velvet. Each depicts a species of birds, animals or fish. One panel is signed with Bess of Shrewsbury's monogram 'ES' and one with 'B'. Household accounts show that both Mary and Bess had professional embroiderers on staff, who may have executed the 'unsigned' pieces on this valance. The existing 'hangings' are not the original arrangement of the embroidery. They may have first served as cushion covers or smaller hangings in Bess's various houses, while Mary frequently sent embroideries as gifts to friends and supporters, as well as Queen Elizabeth.

The embroideries were given to Ann Dacre, Countess of Arundel, daughter-in-law of the Duke of Norfolk who was executed in 1574 for plotting to marry Mary and supplant Queen Elizabeth. It is thought that the current arrangement of wall hanging, two bed curtains and valance was put together in the late 17th century by Ann Dacre's daughter-in-law, Alathea Talbot, granddaughter of Bess, Countess of Shrewsbury. The hangings made their way through descendants of the Arundels to Cowdray Park. In 1761, the hangings came to Oxburgh Hall. They were purchased by the National Art Collections Fund in 1955. Unable to give them directly to the National Trust, the NACF donated the hangings to the V&A Museum, on condition they remain at Oxburgh.