Pillow cover

Object Type
In the 16th century a wide range of domestic furnishings and embroideries were used in rich households. This little cover with its symbols associated with love and marriage may have been used on the dressing table in the main bedchamber.

Materials & Making
This type of embroidery worked on an exposed linen ground was typical of the very large group of decorated towels, table and cupboard cloths, coverlets, pillows and dress accessories that are listed in inventories of the period. The group can be subdivided and this little cover represents a number of embroideries worked in multi-coloured silks, combined with metal thread and a wide range of stitches. These include detached buttonhole stitch, which gives a slightly three-dimensional effect. It was probably worked by the women of the household. The heraldic shield that commemorates the marriage was evidently worked by a different and less accomplished hand.

Ownership & Use
The cover was used as a commemorative item to celebrate the marriage of Bernard Grenville and Elizabeth Bevill in 1592. Bernard was the son of the naval hero Sir Richard Grenville (1541-1591), captain of the Revenge in an action against the Spanish. Wealthy families often included their heraldic shields on household items to display their noble status.