Waistcoat thumbnail 1
Waistcoat thumbnail 2
+7
images
Not on display

Waistcoat

1615-1620 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The imagery on this early 17th-century linen jacket is one of the most visually sophisticated examples of its kind. A range of beasts, real and fantastic, flowers, birds and insects adorn the jacket, each enclosed within leaf, fruit or flower-shaped compartments as part of the naturalistic design. Several motifs have been inspired by images from emblem books, a popular genre of literature in the 16th and 17th centuries. Inspired by classical mythology as well as folk tales, emblems combined visual images with mottoes and poems expressing moral sentiments. Emblematic images and text influenced a wide range of visual media and literature during the period, including this jacket.

The tragedy of this masterpiece of erudition and design is its deteriorating condition. The dye that created the inky black colour of the silk embroidery thread was fixed with iron. Over the years, the iron oxidises (rusts) causing the silk thread to disintegrate. The extent of the loss is evident in these details; only a few motifs remain intact. There are to date no modern conservation techniques to halt this disintegration. These photographs record the endangered splendours of this garment.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Linen embroidered in silk
Brief description
Woman's waistcoat of linen, 1615-20, English; blackwork embroidery with emblems, birds, animals, insects
Physical description
A woman's linen jacket, embroidered in black silk (blackwork) in a range of animals, birds, fish and emblematic devices. Unlined.
Subjects depicted
Summary
The imagery on this early 17th-century linen jacket is one of the most visually sophisticated examples of its kind. A range of beasts, real and fantastic, flowers, birds and insects adorn the jacket, each enclosed within leaf, fruit or flower-shaped compartments as part of the naturalistic design. Several motifs have been inspired by images from emblem books, a popular genre of literature in the 16th and 17th centuries. Inspired by classical mythology as well as folk tales, emblems combined visual images with mottoes and poems expressing moral sentiments. Emblematic images and text influenced a wide range of visual media and literature during the period, including this jacket.

The tragedy of this masterpiece of erudition and design is its deteriorating condition. The dye that created the inky black colour of the silk embroidery thread was fixed with iron. Over the years, the iron oxidises (rusts) causing the silk thread to disintegrate. The extent of the loss is evident in these details; only a few motifs remain intact. There are to date no modern conservation techniques to halt this disintegration. These photographs record the endangered splendours of this garment.
Bibliographic references
  • Susan North, "The Falkland Jacket: Sources, Provenance and Interpretation of an Emblematic Artifact", Emblematica, vol 14, 2005, pp.127-151
  • Avril Hart and Susan North, Historical Fashion in Detail: the 17th and 18th centuries, London: V&A, 1998, p. 148
  • John Lea Nevinson, Catalogue of English Domestic Embroidery of the Sixteenth & Seventeenth Centuries, Victoria and Albert Museum, Department of Textiles, London: HMSO, 1938, p.78
Collection
Accession number
T.80-1924

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdJuly 20, 2007
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest