Embroidered Work-Box
1683 (made), 1830-1860 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
Caskets were made and used by girls in the 17th century. The girls would decorate small panels with embroidery which would then be sent to a cabinet-maker to be made up into a casket. They were often fitted with compartments for sewing and writing as well as a small mirror. Many cabinets also had secret compartments, used to store personal possessions such as jewellery or letters. The high cost of the materials, as well as the skill needed to create these caskets, means they could only have been made in wealthy households.
People
This casket was worked by Hannah Downes in 1684 and bears her initials on the lid. Girls started learning needlework skills aged 6 or 7, first creating a band sampler (see T.433-1990) and then moving on to more complex pieces such as cutwork. Embroidering the panels of a casket or for a mirror (see T.17-1955) appears to have been one of the last stages of a girl’s needlework education. These skills would be useful later in life in the management of a household.
Materials & Designs
Biblical, mythological and classical scenes were all popular themes for decorating caskets. This casket is unique within the V&A's collection because the exterior is decorated almost entirely with laidwork to create geometric flowers.This technique is typically found in the interior of caskets and used to decorate the fronts of drawers.
T.31R-1935: This little knitted woollen pence jug was used as a purse for change or as a container for small items. By the 19th century, patterns for decorative objects like these were being noted down and published in popular books. A knitting recipe for 'A Pence Jug or Purse' in My Knitting Book by Miss Lambert (1844) states: 'To be knitted with five needles, No.20, with claret and green German wool... It may also be worked in silk.'
Caskets were made and used by girls in the 17th century. The girls would decorate small panels with embroidery which would then be sent to a cabinet-maker to be made up into a casket. They were often fitted with compartments for sewing and writing as well as a small mirror. Many cabinets also had secret compartments, used to store personal possessions such as jewellery or letters. The high cost of the materials, as well as the skill needed to create these caskets, means they could only have been made in wealthy households.
People
This casket was worked by Hannah Downes in 1684 and bears her initials on the lid. Girls started learning needlework skills aged 6 or 7, first creating a band sampler (see T.433-1990) and then moving on to more complex pieces such as cutwork. Embroidering the panels of a casket or for a mirror (see T.17-1955) appears to have been one of the last stages of a girl’s needlework education. These skills would be useful later in life in the management of a household.
Materials & Designs
Biblical, mythological and classical scenes were all popular themes for decorating caskets. This casket is unique within the V&A's collection because the exterior is decorated almost entirely with laidwork to create geometric flowers.This technique is typically found in the interior of caskets and used to decorate the fronts of drawers.
T.31R-1935: This little knitted woollen pence jug was used as a purse for change or as a container for small items. By the 19th century, patterns for decorative objects like these were being noted down and published in popular books. A knitting recipe for 'A Pence Jug or Purse' in My Knitting Book by Miss Lambert (1844) states: 'To be knitted with five needles, No.20, with claret and green German wool... It may also be worked in silk.'
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 37 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Canvas covered with silk thread; laid work.
T.31R-1935: Hand knitted wool.
T.31U-1935: Silk ribbons woven in plain weave with straw splints, secured by edge of silk, with leaves of flannel trimmed with buttonhole stitches of silk thread.
T.31V-1935: Silk ribbons woven in plain weave with straw splints, secured by edge of silk and with ribbon ties. |
| Brief description | Embroidered work-box, covered with laid work showing geometric patterns, worked by Hannah Downes, England, 1683 |
| Physical description | Embroidered workbox Design & Decoration The lid, front and sides are divided into square and rectangular panels of laid work decorated with geometric flowers. The initials HD are worked onto the lid. The panels are edged with silver braid. The back panel is made from a piece of contemporary dress silk, which is unusual. It may be contemporary to the casket or a later addition. The interior is lined with quilted pink silk edged with narrow silver braid and marbled paper. Construction The work-box is of rectangular construction with a hinged lid. The interior is split into two segments, one large tray with letter holders behind it and one smaller segment containing multiple covered and uncovered compartments of different shapes and sizes. The interior lid holds a mirror. T.31R-1935: This knitted pence jug is of red and blue striped wool with a spout and handle. It would have been used as a container for small objects or change. T.31U-1935: Needle book of pink silk woven with straw splints, edged with pink silk. Containing four leaves of flannel, with scalloped edges trimmed with pink silk buttonhole stitching. Missing ribbon ties. T.31V-1935: Needle book of pale blue silk woven with straw splints, edged with pale blue silk and ribbon ties. Have no leaves, as T.31U-1935. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | HD (HD stands for Hannah Downes) |
| Object history | This objects was given to the museum by the descendants of Hannah Downes. It contains number smaller objects worked by Downes and her family. |
| Production | T.31U&V-1935 made by a descendant of Hannah Downes, maker of casket T.31-1935 dated 1683, the great great granddaughter. Attribution note: Made by a girl |
| Association | |
| Summary | Object Type Caskets were made and used by girls in the 17th century. The girls would decorate small panels with embroidery which would then be sent to a cabinet-maker to be made up into a casket. They were often fitted with compartments for sewing and writing as well as a small mirror. Many cabinets also had secret compartments, used to store personal possessions such as jewellery or letters. The high cost of the materials, as well as the skill needed to create these caskets, means they could only have been made in wealthy households. People This casket was worked by Hannah Downes in 1684 and bears her initials on the lid. Girls started learning needlework skills aged 6 or 7, first creating a band sampler (see T.433-1990) and then moving on to more complex pieces such as cutwork. Embroidering the panels of a casket or for a mirror (see T.17-1955) appears to have been one of the last stages of a girl’s needlework education. These skills would be useful later in life in the management of a household. Materials & Designs Biblical, mythological and classical scenes were all popular themes for decorating caskets. This casket is unique within the V&A's collection because the exterior is decorated almost entirely with laidwork to create geometric flowers.This technique is typically found in the interior of caskets and used to decorate the fronts of drawers. T.31R-1935: This little knitted woollen pence jug was used as a purse for change or as a container for small items. By the 19th century, patterns for decorative objects like these were being noted down and published in popular books. A knitting recipe for 'A Pence Jug or Purse' in My Knitting Book by Miss Lambert (1844) states: 'To be knitted with five needles, No.20, with claret and green German wool... It may also be worked in silk.' |
| Bibliographic reference | Nevinson, J., Catalogue of Domestic English Embroidery of the Sixteenth & Seventeenth Centuries (London,1950). |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.31-1935 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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