Cushion Cover
1640-1670 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
This embroidery was worked as the front of a cushion cover, but was never made up for use, which is one of the reasons that its colours are still so bright. In the middle of the 17th century the majority of wooden chairs and stools were not upholstered, and in more prosperous homes, decorated cushions were widely used both for comfort and for the attractiveness of their appearance.
Materials & Making
This cushion cover would have been worked by an amateur though accomplished embroiderer, on a canvas ground on which the design had been drawn by a professional pattern drawer, adapting published prints. Because the design would have been drawn on the canvas in black outline only, the embroiderer could use her individual taste in the choice of colour, and to a more limited extent, stitch and type of thread.
Subjects Depicted
The embroidery shows two scenes from the story of Abraham in the Old Testament : Abraham entertaining the Angels announcing the birth of Isaac, and the Angel restraining Abraham from sacrificing Isaac. The story of Abraham was an extremely popular subject in English 17th-century domestic embroidery, many versions surviving with minor variations. Most of these, and other Old Testament scenes used in embroidery, were taken originally from a book of biblical stories published by Gerard de Jode in Antwerp in 1585. The illustrations from this seem to have had wide circulation in England.
This embroidery was worked as the front of a cushion cover, but was never made up for use, which is one of the reasons that its colours are still so bright. In the middle of the 17th century the majority of wooden chairs and stools were not upholstered, and in more prosperous homes, decorated cushions were widely used both for comfort and for the attractiveness of their appearance.
Materials & Making
This cushion cover would have been worked by an amateur though accomplished embroiderer, on a canvas ground on which the design had been drawn by a professional pattern drawer, adapting published prints. Because the design would have been drawn on the canvas in black outline only, the embroiderer could use her individual taste in the choice of colour, and to a more limited extent, stitch and type of thread.
Subjects Depicted
The embroidery shows two scenes from the story of Abraham in the Old Testament : Abraham entertaining the Angels announcing the birth of Isaac, and the Angel restraining Abraham from sacrificing Isaac. The story of Abraham was an extremely popular subject in English 17th-century domestic embroidery, many versions surviving with minor variations. Most of these, and other Old Testament scenes used in embroidery, were taken originally from a book of biblical stories published by Gerard de Jode in Antwerp in 1585. The illustrations from this seem to have had wide circulation in England.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Linen canvas, embroidered in wool and silk |
| Brief description | embroidered, 1630-1669, English |
| Physical description | An embroidered long cushion cover with a landscape setting and people, angels, animals, plants and buildings. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Gallery label | British Galleries:
This design was transferred onto canvas by a specialist craftsman known as a pattern drawer. He modified biblical scenes published in Antwerp in 1585 for the outlines of the two main groups of figures (see photograph). He then probably used English prints as the source for the animals, birds, insects and flowers in the background.(27/03/2003) |
| Credit line | Given by H. F. C. Lewin |
| Historical context | The print source for the design is Gerard de Jode's Thesaurus Sacrarum, Antwerp, 1585 |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Object Type This embroidery was worked as the front of a cushion cover, but was never made up for use, which is one of the reasons that its colours are still so bright. In the middle of the 17th century the majority of wooden chairs and stools were not upholstered, and in more prosperous homes, decorated cushions were widely used both for comfort and for the attractiveness of their appearance. Materials & Making This cushion cover would have been worked by an amateur though accomplished embroiderer, on a canvas ground on which the design had been drawn by a professional pattern drawer, adapting published prints. Because the design would have been drawn on the canvas in black outline only, the embroiderer could use her individual taste in the choice of colour, and to a more limited extent, stitch and type of thread. Subjects Depicted The embroidery shows two scenes from the story of Abraham in the Old Testament : Abraham entertaining the Angels announcing the birth of Isaac, and the Angel restraining Abraham from sacrificing Isaac. The story of Abraham was an extremely popular subject in English 17th-century domestic embroidery, many versions surviving with minor variations. Most of these, and other Old Testament scenes used in embroidery, were taken originally from a book of biblical stories published by Gerard de Jode in Antwerp in 1585. The illustrations from this seem to have had wide circulation in England. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 443-1865 |
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| Record created | December 15, 1999 |
| Record URL |
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