Pair of Gloves thumbnail 1
Pair of Gloves thumbnail 2
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Pair of Gloves

1610-1630 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Gloves could serve several purposes in early 17th century Britain, apart from the obvious ones of protection and warmth. Many were solely decorative, to display the wealth and status of their owner. Although often seen held in the hand or tucked into a belt in early 17th century portraits, most surviving pairs are stretched over the knuckles of the fingers, indicating they have been worn. Gloves were popular as gifts and were exchanged as a gesture of engagement or wedding present. In combat, a glove was thrown down as a gage, or challenge.

The tabbed gauntlets of embroidere silk, silver-gilt bobbin lace trimming and ruched ribbon are characteristic of gloves during the period 1610 to 1630. They were sometimes made to match an ensemble of doublet, hose and cloak, as seen in William Larkin’s portrait of Sir Richard Sackville, 3rd Earl Dorset, painted in 1613, in the Suffolk Collection at Kenwood House in London.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Glove
  • Glove
Materials and techniques
Kidskin, silk, linen, silver-gilt thread, silk thread; hand sewn, hand embroidered, hand-made bobbin lace
Brief description
Pair of gloves, M or F, 1610-1630, British; leather, embroidered silk gauntlet, silver-gilt bobbin lace
Physical description
A pair of kidskin gloves with applied white satin tabbed gauntles, couched with silver-gilt thread, purl and spangles and embroidered with coloured silks in a floral pattern. The cuffs are lined with coral-pink silk and edged with silver-gilt bobbin lace and spangles. The top of the left gauntlet is trimmed with ruched coral-pink silk ribbon edged with silver-gilt bobbin lace and spangles. This trim is missing on the right hand, revealing a coarse linen interlining.
Dimensions
  • 201 1900 length: 31.4cm (approx)
  • 201 1900 width: 18.8cm (approx)
  • 201 a 1900 length: 30.5cm (approx)
  • 201 a 1900 width: 18.4cm (approx)
Object history
Part of the Isham collection purchased in 1899.
Subjects depicted
Summary
Gloves could serve several purposes in early 17th century Britain, apart from the obvious ones of protection and warmth. Many were solely decorative, to display the wealth and status of their owner. Although often seen held in the hand or tucked into a belt in early 17th century portraits, most surviving pairs are stretched over the knuckles of the fingers, indicating they have been worn. Gloves were popular as gifts and were exchanged as a gesture of engagement or wedding present. In combat, a glove was thrown down as a gage, or challenge.

The tabbed gauntlets of embroidere silk, silver-gilt bobbin lace trimming and ruched ribbon are characteristic of gloves during the period 1610 to 1630. They were sometimes made to match an ensemble of doublet, hose and cloak, as seen in William Larkin’s portrait of Sir Richard Sackville, 3rd Earl Dorset, painted in 1613, in the Suffolk Collection at Kenwood House in London.
Bibliographic references
  • John Lea Nevinson, Catalogue of English Domestic Embroidery of the Sixteenth & Seventeenth Centuries, Victoria and Albert Museum, Department of Textiles, London: HMSO, 1938, p.92
  • Tiramani, Jenny, 'Embroidered Kid Gloves', in North, Susan and Jenny Tiramani, eds, Seventeenth-Century Women’s Dress Patterns, vol.1, London: V&A Publishing, 2011, pp.150-159
Collection
Accession number
201&A-1900

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Record createdJuly 17, 2008
Record URL
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