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Fragment of Embroidery

Fragment of Embroidery

  • Place of origin:

    England (probably, made)

  • Date:

    1160-1190 (made)

  • Artist/Maker:

    Unknown

  • Materials and Techniques:

    Plain-woven purple silk embroidered with silver-gilt thread in underside couching and stem stitch.

  • Museum number:

    T.60-1911

  • Gallery location:

    In Storage

This object is made up of two panels of embroidered plain-woven purple silk, cut down from a larger piece into two smaller panels and crudely joined with a blue wool thread along one edge. The original function of the precious textile is unknown, but it may have been a liturgical vestment. At a later stage, the piece was lined with plain-woven linen. The embroidery is worked in a fragmented circle and lozenge decorated with foliate crosses and scrollwork. At some later stage, the embroidery fragments were assembled into a seal bag, now opened to lie flat.

Physical description

Two panels of embroidered plain-woven purple silk, cut down from a larger piece into two smaller panels and crudely joined with a blue wool thread along one edge. The other edge has similar stitches in blue and is bound with a linen braid. At a later stage, the piece was lined with plain-woven linen. The embroidery is worked in a fragmented circle and lozenge decorated with foliate crosses and scrollwork, a decorative scheme stylistically close to the embroidery on the vestments of St Thomas of Canterbury and Archbishop Hubert Walter (see King 1963).

Place of Origin

England (probably, made)

Date

1160-1190 (made)

Artist/maker

Unknown

Materials and Techniques

Plain-woven purple silk embroidered with silver-gilt thread in underside couching and stem stitch.

Dimensions

Height: 29 cm maximum, Width: 22.5 cm maximum

Object history note

Given by the Revd. James Harvey Bloom in 1911.

Historical context note

The original function of the precious textile is unknown, from which these two small pieces of gold-embroidered silk were cut for reuse. It may have been a vestment. At some later stage, the embroidery fragments were assembled into a seal bag, now opened to lie flat.

Descriptive line

Two panels of embroidered purple silk, English, 1170-1200.

Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)

King, Donald. Opus Anglicanum: English Medieval Embroidery, exhibition catalogue, London, Victoria and Albert Museum (London, 1963), cat. no. 5.

King, Donald and Levey, Santina, The Victoria & Albert Museum's Textile Collection:Embroidery in Britian from 1200 to 1750, museum catalogue, London, Victoria and Albert Museum (London, 1993), 21.

Browne, Clare; Davies, Glyn; Michael, M.A., English Medieval Embroidery: Opus Anglicanum, exhibition catalogue, London, Victoria and Albert Museum (London, 2016), 117.

Materials

Silk (textile); Metal thread; Linen

Techniques

Embroidery

Categories

Embroidery; Textiles

Collection

Textiles and Fashion Collection

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