Embroidered, with initials of Oliver St John; English; ca. 1605.

Embroidered in tent and stem stitch, in wool, silk, gold, and silver thread on linen canvas. The blue ground is covered with symmetrically-arranged branching stems in two shades of green, bearing carnations, Tudor roses, acorns, grapes, etc. In the centre is a roundel, containing (within a broad border of floral stems on a black ground) an impaled coat of arms and the initials O.S. and E.S. The carpet is surrounded with a broad border of floral stems of different types on a black ground, containing 20 heraldic shields of the alliances of the St John family.

The ground also has various initials (some undeciphered) and devices, including a crest.

The border is in four pieces (one with a narrow red chevron edging) but probably belongs to the centre, which has been cut down: the whole was mounted at a later date on a piece of coarser canvas, through which some of the outlines were reworked.

Purchased with Art Fund support

Purchased. Registered File no. 1930/8879. Made for the marriage in 1602 of Oliver St John, first Earl of Bolingbroke, with Elizabeth, heiress of William Paulet.

The arms in the centre are too severely damaaged to be identified satisfactorily. Arms in the borders (from top left, reading clockwise):

1. [St John]/Morgan (Sir John St John and Sibyl Morgan ap Jenkins). Argent on a chief gules two mullets or (for St John).
2. St John/Walgrave (Sir John St John and Margaret Waldegrave). Argent on a chief gules, 2 mullets or (for St John). Per pale argent and gules, quartering (for Waldegrave).
3. [Rees]/St John. (Griffin Rhese/Rees and Catherine St John). Argent a chevron sa. between 3 cornish choughs proper (Reese of Llandovery); Argent on a chief, gules 2 mullets or (St. John)
4. Parker/St John. (Henry Parker Lord Morley, and Alice St John). Azure between 2 bars sa. charged with 3 bezants, a lion passant gules in chief 3 bucks heads cabossed, quartering (for Parker). Argent on a chief gules, 2 mullets or (for St John).
5. Gamage/St John. (Sir Thomas Gamage and Margaret St John). Argent a band lozengy, a chief azure (for Gamage). Argent on a chief gules, 2 mullets or (for St John)
6. Rotheram/St John (Sir Thomas Rotherham and Elizabeth St John). Vert, 2 bucks in full course or (for Rotherham). Argent, on a chief gules, 2 mullets or (for St John)
7. Kirkham/St John (Sir Robert Kirkham and Sibyl St. John). Argent on a fess gules 3 besants (for Kirkham). Argent on a chief gules 2 mullets or (for St John).
8. St John/Fisher (Oliver, first Lord St John, and Agnes Fisher). Argent, on a chief, gules, 2 mullets or (for St John). Argent on a chevron between 3 demilions rampant gules, as many plates (for Fisher)
9. [Grey/St John] (Sir Henry Grey of Wrest, and Margery St John) Barry of 6, argent and azure, in chief 3 torteaux (for Grey). Argent on a chief gules 2 mullets or (for St John).
10. Denis/St John. (Sir Richard Dennis and Anne St John). Gules, a bend engrailed between 2 leopards faces or, jessant fleur-de-lys of the second (for Dennis). Argent on a chief gules 2 mullets or (for St John).
11. Rusel/St John (Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford and Margaret St John). Argent a lion rampant gules, on a chief sa. 3 escallops of the first, sable, 3 dovecotes argent (Russell quartering Sapcote). Argent on a chief gules 2 mullets or (for St John).
12. Elmes/St John (Elmes of Lilford and Alice St John). Ermine, 2 bars sable, each charged with 5 elm-leaves or (for Elmes). Argent on a chief gules, 2 mullets or (for St John).
13. St John/Dormer (John Second Lord St John and Catherine Dormer). Argent on a chief gules, 2 mullets or (for St John).On a chief, a demi-lion issuant sa. (Dormer quartering).
14. Pelham/St John (John Pelham of Sussex and Judith St John). Azure, 3 pelicans argent, vulning themselves (for Pelham). Argent on a chief gules, 2 mullets or (for St John).
15. Cheney/St John (Richard (or John?) Cheney of Sussex and Martha St John). Ermine (?) in a canton argent (for Cheney). Argent on a chief gules, 2 mullets or (for St John).
16. St John. (? for Thomas St John, Lord Chief Justice) Argent on a chief gules, 2 mullets or (for St John).
17. Luke/St John (Sir Nicholas Luke and Margaret St John). Argent, a bugle-horn sa, stringed gules (for Luke). Argent on a chief gules, 2 mullets or (for St John).
18. Corbet/St John (Sir Richard Corbet and Anne St John). Or, a raven sable (for Corbet). Argent on a chief gules, 2 mullets or (for St John).
19. St John (for Francis St John?) Argent on a chief gules, 2 mullets or (for St John).
20. St John (?) Argent on a chief gules, 2 mullets or (for St John).

T.152-1930