Forehead Cloth
1600-1625 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
A forehead cloth was part of women’s headwear in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. It was usually worn with a coif and inventories from the period record matching coifs and forehead clothes being made and bought together. However, it is still unclear just how the forehead cloth was worn, as there are very few portraits illustrating both.
This forehead cloth is embroidered with coloured silks and silver-gilt thread, and probably once had a matching coif. The repeating pattern of flowers, fruits, birds and insects is typical of the naturalistic embroidery designs of the late 16th and early 17th centuries.
This forehead cloth is embroidered with coloured silks and silver-gilt thread, and probably once had a matching coif. The repeating pattern of flowers, fruits, birds and insects is typical of the naturalistic embroidery designs of the late 16th and early 17th centuries.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Linen, silk thread, silver-gilt thread; hand-embroidered |
| Brief description | Part of a woman's forehead cloth of linen, 1600-1625, British; embroidered with coloured silks and metal thread in a pattern of flowers, birds, insects (joined to Circ.265-1911) |
| Physical description | A forehead cloth of linen embroidered with coloured silks in shades of green, blue, pink, red, yellow and white in detached buttonhole stitch; and silver-gilt thread in chain, plaited braid stitches and couching. The pattern consists of silver-gilt scrolling stems bearing coloured leaves, strawberries, roses, other flowers, a bird and butterflies. The cloth is embroidered around the edge with green silk in buttonhole stitch. |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | A coif almost identical in design to this forehead cloth is held in a private collection in New York. They have no provenance for their piece, but they believe it to be the piece sold at Chrtisties South Kensington 23 October 1990 lot 167 ex Roger Warner collection. Personal communication to Clare Browne june/july 2006. In June 2007 this coif was held by Witney Antiques, Oxfordshire, and shown at the Grosvenor House antiques fair in that year. Seen by Daniel Milford-Cottam at Grosvenor House, June 2007. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | A forehead cloth was part of women’s headwear in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. It was usually worn with a coif and inventories from the period record matching coifs and forehead clothes being made and bought together. However, it is still unclear just how the forehead cloth was worn, as there are very few portraits illustrating both. This forehead cloth is embroidered with coloured silks and silver-gilt thread, and probably once had a matching coif. The repeating pattern of flowers, fruits, birds and insects is typical of the naturalistic embroidery designs of the late 16th and early 17th centuries. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.76-1911 |
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| Record created | July 11, 2006 |
| Record URL |
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