Mirror frame

Object Type
Mirror glass had a considerable intrinsic value in the 17th century, and the presence of a relatively small piece could be increased with a broad decorated frame. The decoration of mirror frames with a wide inner border of embroidery seems to have been a popular accomplishment of amateur needlewomen particularly between about 1660 and 1680. This panel was being prepared for such a frame.

Design & Designing
The subjects and styles of embroidery chosen for mirror frames were close to those used for caskets, pictures, and other domestic items worked at home. Motifs were copied from pattern books and prints, or the satin panels could be bought already drawn out as 'kits', as this has been. The figures here are based on engravings from Gerard de Jode's 'Thesaurus Sacrarum Historiarum Veteris Testamenti', first published in Antwerp in 1585.

Subjects Depicted
This unfinished mirror frame shows scenes from the Old Testament story of Hagar and Ishmael. Hagar was the servant of Abraham's wife Sarah, who was unable to have children. When Hagar conceived a child by Abraham she showed contempt towards Sarah, who retaliated with such harsh treatment that Hagar fled into the wilderness. There she was comforted by an angel, and gave birth to her son Ishmael.