- Embroidered Casket
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Embroidered Casket
- Place of origin:
England
- Date:
1660-1685 (made)
- Materials and Techniques:
Wood covered with satin, worked with silk and metal thread with raised work, also known as stumpwork. Worked in split and satin stitches with French knots, buttonholing, darned silk pile and laid and couched work.
The four figurines in the garden are possibly carved in ivory. - Credit Line:
Given by Mr F Black
- Museum number:
T.23-1928
- Gallery location:
Temporary Exhibition, room 38, case 5. Box of Delights, shelf CA10
Sewing was an important skill for a woman in the 17th century and was taught to girls of all classes from an early age. Plain sewing - hemming and seaming - was of particular value for the production of underclothes and basic household linens. Only a privileged few, however, were able to afford the time and materials for embroidery. There appear to have been a number of accepted markers in the development of a competent needlewoman. First a band sampler was completed, illustrating the range of stitches and techniques that the girl had mastered. Then these skills were developed by sewing a more complex and demanding cut-work sampler. In many cases the final challenge was the production of a casket like this one, depicting scenes from myth or the Bible using a wide range of stitches and materials. In particular these caskets employ raised work, the technique of embroidering over padding.
It is probable that each individual figure or element was sewn independently and then applied to the delicate white satin background. This meant that the needlewoman could experiment and correct mistakes which would be impossible to rework on the satin. Once the panels were completed they were sent to a local cabinet-maker who mounted them on wood and made them up into a casket. The silver braid conceals the joins and prevents the satin from fraying.
Different scenes, almost certainly derived from contemporary prints, adorn each of the five visible surfaces of the casket.
