Glove tab
- Place of origin:
England, Great Britain (made)
- Date:
1610-1630 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
unknown (production)
- Materials and Techniques:
Embroidered satin with silver-gilt thread and silk threads
- Credit Line:
Given by Miss Agnus A Hepburn and Mrs Margaret Owen
- Museum number:
T.29-1975
- Gallery location:
In Storage
A single tab from the gauntlet of an early 17th-century glove illustrates how the embroidery for this type of accessory was carried out. The silver-gilt threads are couched onto the satin – that is, laid on the surface and secured with stitches in very fine silk. The coloured silk threads are worked through the satin ground.
A range of popular flowers such as roses, borage and cornflower, with strawberries and ears of wheat are typical motifs in early 17th-century embroidery in Britain. These are arranged in a geometric setting outlined in the silver-gilt thread, a pattern characteristic of Renaissance strapwork.
