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Jacket

Jacket

  • Place of origin:

    England (made)

  • Date:

    1st quarter 17th century (made)

  • Artist/Maker:

    Unknown

  • Materials and Techniques:

    Linen, embroidered with silk and metal thread

  • Museum number:

    1359-1900

  • Gallery location:

    In store

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Stylised red and white roseswere the central symbol of the 16th century Tudor dynasty. Columbine flower was sometimes seen to signify sorrow. By the early 17th century however, it is uncertain whether such decoration would have had a specific symbolic purpose. It is more likely that the rose and columbine on this jacket, together with the other flowers, are part of the commonplace fashionable floral motifs of the time, when botanical picture books were popular and used frequently as design inspiration. The botanical features include honeysuckle,pansies, carnations, foxgloves, borage, strawberries, cornflowers, rosehips, thistles, columbine and vineleaves. There are also pea-pods which include small silver-gilt thread peas, around all of which there are small birds, bees and worms.

Silver-gilt thread scrolls around the design, and along with small metal spangles (the 17th century term for sequins), would have caught the light, adding to the beautiful detail of this jacket.

Physical description

A woman's jacket embroidered with silk, gold thread and spangles on linen ground. The jacket is embroidered with a number of flowers and insects.

Place of Origin

England

Date

1st quarter 17th century (made)

Artist/maker

Unknown

Materials and Techniques

Linen, embroidered with silk and metal thread

Dimensions

Height: 68 cm
Width: 126 cm (unmounted)

68 x 70 x 38 cm mounted

Historical context note

Stylised red and white roses had been central to sixteenth century Tudor dynastic symbolism. Their role as emblems also developed to represent marriage, fecundity and motherhood - the red rose symbolised childbirth and the white rose a mother's milk. Columbine was sometimes seen to signfiy sorrow due to its often dark purple appearance whilst in a catholic cultural context seven columbine flower-heads could be used to represent the seven sorrows of Mary as well as being symbols for the Holy Spirit. In this case seven flowers would represent the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: power, riches, widom, might, honour, glory and blessing. By the early seventeenth century it is uncertain whether such decoration would have had a specific symbolic purpose. It is is more likely that the rose and columbine on this jacket, together with the other flowers, which include honeysuckle, irises or lilies, daisies and pansies are the commonplace fashionable floral motiifs of a woman adorning herself in the maner of a modern Flora. Nevertheless they may still have subtle emblematic intent with overtones of classical and pastoral imagery.

Materials

Linen; Silk; Gold thread

Subjects depicted

Plants; Flowers; Bee; Birds

Categories

Embroidery; Fashion; Clothing

Collection code

T&D

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Qr_O15345
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