Online Encyclopedia

lake-dwellings shows that their primitive inhabitants were at least acquainted with the art of stitching . In concerning ourselves solely with those periods of which examples survive, we must pass over a wide See also:

gap and begin with the anciently-civilized See also:

LAND

land of See also:

EGYPT

Egypt . The sandy See also:

SOIL

soil and dry See also:

CLIMATE

climate of that See also:

COUNTRY (from the Mid. Eng. contre or contrie, and O. Fr. cuntree; Late Lat. contrata, showing the derivation from contra, opposite, over against, thus the tract of land which fronts the sight, cf. Ger. Gegend, neighbourhood)

country have led to the preservation of See also:

WOVEN

woven stuffs and embroideries of unique historic See also:

INTEREST

interest . The See also:

PRINCIPAL

principal, and by far the earliest, known pieces which have a bearing on the See also:

PRESENT

present subject, found in 1903 in the See also:

TOMB (Gr. Tuµ/3a, Tuµ(3os, probably allied to Lat. tumulus, literally a swelling, tumere, to swell)

tomb of Tethmosis (Thoutm6sis, or Thothmes) IV. at See also:

Thebes, are now in the See also:

Cairo Museum . There are three fragments, entirely of See also:

LINEN

linen, in- wrought with patterns in See also:

BLUE (common in different forms to most European languages)

blue, red, See also:

green and See also:

black (fig . I) . A kind of See also:

TAPESTRY

tapestry method is used, the patterns being wrought upon the warp threads of the ground, instead of upon the finished See also:

WEB (a word common to Teutonic languages, cf. Du. webbe, Dan. vaev, Ger. Gewebe, all from the Teutonic wabh—to weave)

web or woven material . Such a See also:

PROCESS

process, generally supplemented, as in this See also:

case, by a few stitches of See also:

FINE

fine needlework, was still in See also:

COMMON

common use at a far later See also:

time . The largest of the three fragments at Cairo bears, in addition to rows of See also:

LOTUS

lotus See also:

FLOWERS, ARTIFICIAL

flowers and See also:

PAPYRUS

papyrus inflorescences, a See also:

CARTOUCHE (a French word adapted from the Ital. cartoccio, a roll of paper, Med Lat. carta, for charta, paper)

cartouche containing the name of Amenophis (Amenhotep) II . (c .

15th See also:

CENTURY (from Lat. centuria, a division of a hundred men)

century B.C.); another is inwrought with the name of Tethmosis III . (c . 16th century B.C.).1 No other embroidered stuffs which can be assigned to so See also:

early a date have hitherto come to See also:

LIGHT

light in the See also:

Nile valley (nor indeed elsewhere), and the student who wishes to gain a See also:

fuller knowledge of the textile patterns of the See also:

ancient Egyptians must be referred to the See also:

wall-paintings and sculptured reliefs which have been preserved in considerable See also:

numbers . From the ancient civilizations of See also:

BABYLON (mod. Hillah)

Babylon and See also:

ASSYRIA

Assyria no fragments of embroidery, nor even of woven stuffs, have come down to us . The fine See also:

SERIES (a Latin word from serere, to join)

series of wall-reliefs from See also:

NINEVEH (Heb. m}'?, in classical authors Nivos, Ninus; LXX. Ntsetni, Nnveun: Assyrian Nind or Ninua)

Nineveh in the See also:

BRITISH

British Museum give some See also:

IDEA (Gr. Ibia, connected with i&eiv, to see; cf. Lat. species from specere, to look at)

idea of the geometrical and floral patterns and diapers which adorned the See also:

ROBES (Fr. robe, Late Lat. roba, raupa, meaning (1)

robes of the ancient Assyrians . The discovery of the ruins of the See also:

PALACE (Lat. Palatium, the name given by Augustus to his residence on the Palatine Hill)

palace of See also:

DARIUS (Pers. Darayavaush; Old Test. Daryavesh)

Darius I . (521–485 B.C.) at See also:

Susa in 1885 has thrown some light upon the textile art of the ancient Persians . They evidently owed much to the nations whom they had supplanted . The famous See also:

RELIEF

relief from this palace (now in the Louvre) represents a procession of archers, wearing See also:

long robes covered with small See also:

DIAPER (derived through the Fr. from the Gr. &&, through, and a rirpos, white; the derivation from the town of Ypres, " d'Ypres," in Belgium is unhistorical, as diapers were known for centuries before its existence)

diaper patterns, perhaps of embroidery . The exact significance of the words used in the See also:

BOOK

book of See also:

Exodus in describing the robes of See also:

AARON

Aaron (ch. See also:

XXVIII

xxviii.) and the hangings and ornaments of the See also:

Tabernacle (ch. See also:

XXVI

xxvi.) cannot be deter-See also:

MINED

mined, and the " broidered See also:

WORK

work " of the prophecy of See also:

EZEKIEL (SKpm', " God strengthens" or " God is strong "; Sept. 'IE'EKL?)X; Vulg. Ezechiel)

Ezekiel (ch. See also:

XXVII

xxvii.) at a later time is also of uncertain meaning . It seems likely that much of this ancient work was of the tapestry class, such as we have found in the early fragments from Thebes . The methods of the ancient See also:

Greek embroiderer, or "variegator " ('IrouuXrits) to whom woven garments were submitted 1 See H .

See also:

PALERMO (Greek, Havopuos; Latin, Panhormus, Panormus)

Palermo in See also:

SICILY (Ital. Sicilia)

Sicily succeeded See also:

BYZANTIUM

Byzantium as the capital of the 6 Writers have assigned different See also:

DATES

dates to this vestment: See also:

LADY (0. Eng. hlaefdige, Mid. Eng. ldfdi, lavedi; the first part of the word is hldf, loaf, bread, as in the corresponding hldford, lord; the second part is usually taken to be from the root dig-, to knead, seen also in " dough "; the sense development fr

Lady See also:

ALFORD, HENRY (1810–1871)

Alford, Needlework as Art (earlier than the 13th century) ; F . Bock, See also:

Die Kleinodien (12th century); S . Boisser6e, Uber die Kaiser-Dalmatica in der St Peterskirche zu Rom (12th or first See also:

HALF

half of 13th century) ; A . S . Cole, Cantor Lectures at Society of Arts, 19os (possibly of 9th century) ; See also:

Lord See also:

LINDSAY

Lindsay, Christian Art (12th or early 13th century); A . Venturi, Storia dell' arte (loth or 11th century); T . Braun, Liturg . Gewandung, p . 305 and See also:

note (late 14th or early 15th century) . arts in Europe, although its ascendancy was of brief duration . Under the See also:

Norman See also:

KINGS, FIRST AND SECOND BOOKS OF

kings of Sicily the style was strongly See also:

ORIENTAL

oriental, consequent upon the earlier occupation of the See also:

ISLAND (O.E. ieg =isle, +land')

island by the See also:

SARACENS

Saracens, and upon the employment of Saracenic craftsmen by the See also:

NORMANS

Normans . The magnificent red silk See also:

MANTLE

mantle at See also:

Vienna, embroidered in gold thread with a date-See also:

palm and two lions springing upon camels, and enriched with pearls and See also:

ENAMEL (formerly " amel," derived through the Fr. amail, emmll, esmail, from a Latin word smaltum, first found in a 9th-century life of Leo IV.)

enamel plaques, bears See also:

ROUND (O. Fr. rond, Lat. rotundus, the Fr. is the source also of Du. rond; Ger., Swed., Dan. and Nor. rond)

round the edge an Arabic inscription, recording that it was made in the royal factory of the capital of Sicily (Palermo) in the year 528 (=A.D .

1134) . At that time See also:

Roger, the first Norman king, was on the See also:

THRONE

throne . Another of the imperial See also:

CORONATION (Lat. corona, crown)

coronation-robes—a linen See also:

ALB (Lat. alba, from albus, white)

alb with gold embroidery—is also at Vienna .l An inscription in Latin and Arabic states that it was made in the year 1181, under the reign of See also:

William II . (Norman king of Sicily, 1166–1189) . From about that time distinct See also:

NATIONAL

national styles began to develop in different places . In tracing the progress of the embroiderer's art during the middle ages we must rely mainly upon the many fine examples of ecclesiastical work which have been preserved . The costumes of men and See also:

WOMEN

women, as well as curtains and hangings and such articles of domestic use, were often richly adorned with embroidery . These have mostly perished; while the careful preservation and comparatively infrequent use of the See also:

VESTMENTS

vestments and other See also:

OBJECTS

objects devoted to the service of the church have given us tangible See also:

EVIDENCE (Lat. evidentia, evideri, to appear clearly)

evidence of the attainments of the See also:

MEDIEVAL

medieval embroiderer . Much of this work was produced in convents, but old documents show that in monasteries also were to be found men known for their skill in needlework . Other names, both of men and women, are recorded, showing that the craft was by no means exclusively confined to monastic foundation_ . See also:

GILDS, or GUILDS

Gilds of embroiderers existed far back in medieval times . In See also:

England the craft has been a favourite employment for many centuries, and persons of all ranks have occupied their spare See also:

HOURS, CANONICAL

hours at needlework .

Some embroidered fragments, found in 1826–1827 in the tomb of St See also:

CUTHBERT, SAINT (d. 687)

Cuthbert at See also:

Durham, and now kept in the See also:

CATHEDRAL

cathedral library, were worked, chiefly in gold thread, by See also:

order of iElffla;da, queen of See also:

EDWARD

Edward the See also:

Elder, for Fridestan, bishop of See also:

Winchester, early in the loth century . ' Both are illustrated in F . Bock, Die Kleinodien . In the later See also:

PART

part of the following century the " See also:

BAYEUX

Bayeux tapestry " was produced—a work of unique importance (See also:

PLATE

Plate I. fig . 7) . It is a See also:

BAND

band of linen, more than 230 ft. long, embroidered in coloured wools with the See also:

story of the Norman See also:

CONQUEST

conquest of England . (See BAYEUX TAPESTRY.) Some fragments of metallic embroidery on silk, of the 12th and 13th centuries, may be seen in the library of See also:

Worcester cathedral . They were removed from the coffins of two bishops, William de See also:

BLOIS

Blois (1218–1236) and See also:

Walter de Cantelupe (1236-1266) . A fragment of gold embroidery from the tomb of the latter bishop is preserved in the See also:

Victoria and See also:

Albert Museum at See also:

South See also:

KENSINGTON

Kensington, and others are in the British Museum . In the 13th century See also:

ENGLISH

English embroidery was famous throughout western Europe, and many embroidered objects are described in inventories of that time as being de opere anglicano . During that century, and the early part of the next, English work was at its best . The most famous example is the " Syon See also:

cope " at South Kensington, belonging to the latter half of the 13th century (see COPE, Plate I. fig .

2) . It represents the coronation of the Virgin, the Crucifixion, the See also:

archangel See also:

Michael transfixing the See also:

DRAGON (Fr. dragon, through Lat. draco, from the Greek; connected with SEpeoµay " see," and interpreted as " sharp-sighted "; O.H. Ger. tracho, dracho, M.H.G. trache, Mod. Ger. Drachen; A.S. draca, hence the equivalent English form " drake," " fire-drake,

dragon, the See also:

DEATH

death and See also:

BURIAL

burial of the Virgin, our Lord See also:

MEETING (from " to meet," to come together, assemble, 0. Eng. metals ; cf. Du. moeten, Swed. mota, Goth. gamotjan, &c., derivatives of the Teut. word for a meeting, seen in O. Eng. Wit, moot, an assembly of the people; cf. witanagemot)

meeting See also:

Mary Magdalene in the See also:

GARDEN (from O. Fr. garden, mod. Fr. jardin; this, like our words " garth," a paddock attached to a building, and " yard," comes from a Teutonic word for an enclosure which appears in Gothic as gards and O. H. Ger. gart, cf. Dutch gaarde and Ger. .garten)

garden, the Apostles and the hierarchies of angels . The broad See also:

ORPHREY

orphrey is embroidered with a series of heraldic See also:

SHIELDS, JAMES (181b-1879)

shields (Plate II. fig . 9) . Other embroideries of the period are at See also:

STEEPLE (akin to " steep")

Steeple See also:

ASTON, ANTHONY (fl. 1712-1731)

Aston, See also:

Chesterfield (See also:

Col . See also:

Butler-Bowden), Victoria and Albert and British museums, Rome (St See also:

John Lateran), See also:

Bologna, See also:

PIENZA

Pienza, Anagni, See also:

Ascoli, St See also:

BERTRAND, HENRI GRATIEN, COMTE (1773-1844)

Bertrand de Comminges, See also:

Lyons museum, See also:

MADRID

Madrid (archaeological museum), See also:

Toledo and See also:

VICH

Vich . During the course of the 14th and 15th centuries embroideries produced in England were not equal to the earlier work . To-wards the end of the latter century, and until the See also:

DISSOLUTION (from Lat. dissolvere, to break up into parts)

dissolution of the monasteries in the next, much ecclesiastical embroidery of effective See also:

DESIGN (Fr. desiin, drawing; Lat. designare, to mark out)

design was done, and many examples are still to be seen in churches throughout the country . In the Tudor period the costumes of the wealthy were often richly adorned with needlework . The portraits of King See also:

Henry VIII., Queen See also:

Elizabeth and their courtiers show how magnificent was the embroidery used for such purposes . Many examples, especially of the latter reign, worked with very effective and beautiful floral patterns, have come down to these times . A kind of embroidery known as " black work," done in black silk on linen, was popular during the same reign .

A See also:

TUNIC (0. Eng. tunice, tunical, taken, before the Norman con-quest, directly from Lat. tunica, of which the origin is unknown)

tunic embroidered for Queen Elizabeth, with devices copied from contemporary woodcuts, is an excellent example of this work . It now belongs to the See also:

VISCOUNT (through O. Fr. viscomte, mod. vicomte, from Low Lat. vice-comes, cf. Portug. visconde, Ital. visconte)

Viscount See also:

Falkland . Another class of work, popular at the same time, was closely worked in wools and silks on open-mesh material like See also:

CANVAS

canvas, which was entirely covered by the embroidery . Figures in See also:

rich See also:

costume were often introduced (Plate I. fig . 6) . This method was much practised in See also:

France, and the term applied to it in that country, " au See also:

PETIT, SIR DINSHAW MANECKJI, BART

petit point," has become generally used . Through-out the 17th and 18th centuries embroidery in England, though sometimes lacking in See also:

GOOD, JOHN MASON (1764-1827)

good See also:

TASTE (from Lat. taxare, to touch sharply; tangere, to touch)

taste, maintained generally a high See also:

standard, and that done to-See also:

day, based on the study of old examples, need not fear comparison with any modern work . During these three centuries bold floral patterns for hangings, curtains and coverlets have been usual (Plate III. fig . 13), but smaller See also:

WORKS

works, such as samplers, covers of work-boxes, and pictorial and landscape subjects (fig . 5), have been produced in large numbers . In the 18th century gentlemen's coats and waistcoats and ladies' dresses were extensively embroidered . In France, embroidery, like all the arts practised by that nation, has been characterized by much See also:

grace and beauty, and many good specimens belonging to different periods are known .

The vestments associated with the name of St See also:

Thomas of Canter-See also:

bury at See also:

SENS

Sens may be either of See also:

French or English work (12th century) . To the later part of the following century belongs a band of embroidery, representing the coronation of the Virgin, the Adoration of the Magi, the presentation in the See also:

Temple, and other subjects beneath See also:

GOTHIC

Gothic See also:

ARCHES, COURT OF

arches, preserved in the Hotel-Dieu at See also:

CHATEAU (from Lat. castellum, fortress, through O. Fr. chastel, chasteau)

Chateau See also:

THIERRY

Thierry . The See also:

MITRE (Lat. mitra, from Gr. j4rpa, a band, head-band, head-dress)

mitre of See also:

JEAN

Jean de See also:

Marigny, See also:

ARCHBISHOP (Lat. archiepiscopus, from Gr. apxceatorcoros)

archbishop of See also:

ROUEN

Rouen (1347–1351), in the museum at See also:

EVREUX

Evreux, 312 embroidered with figures of St Peter and St Eloy, may be regarded as representative of 14th-century work . An See also:

ALTAR (Lat. altare, from alias, high; some ancient etymological guesses are recorded by St Isidore of Seville in Etymologiae xv. 4)

altar-frontal with the Annunciation embroidered in silks and gold and See also:

SILVER

silver upon a blue silk See also:

DAMASK

damask ground, now in the museum at See also:

LILLE

Lille, is a very beautiful example of Franco-Flemish art in the second half of the 15th century . It was originally in the church at Noyelleslez-Seclin . An embroidery more characteristically French, and belonging to the same century, is in the museum at See also:

CHARTRES

Chartres . It is a See also:

TRIPTYCH (Gr. rpiary os, three-fold, made in three layers, TpL-, rpeis, three; arux1, a fold; 7rr(uoELv, to fold, double over)

triptych, having in the middle a pieta, on the See also:

LEFT

left wing St John the Evangelist, and on the right St See also:

Catherine of See also:

Alexandria . Each See also:

LEAF (O. Eng. leaf, cf. Dutch loof, Ger. Laub, Swed. lof, &c.; possibly to be referred to the root seen in Gr. Ma-eta, to peel, strip)

leaf has a See also:

CANOPY (through Fr. canape, from Med. Lat. canapeum, classical conopeum, a mosquito curtain, Gr. K6v(.4, a gnat)

canopy of See also:

ARCHITECTURE (Lat. architectura, from the Gr. ap)(LTEKrwv, a master-builder)

architecture represented in See also:

PERSPECTIVE (Lat. peespicere, to see through)

perspective . In the 16th century an effective style of embroidery was practised in France; the See also:

PATTERN

pattern is generally a graceful See also:

COMBINATION (Lat. combinare, to combine)

combination of floral and See also:

SCROLL

scroll forms, cut out of See also:

VELVET

velvet, satin or silk, and applied to a thick woollen cloth . Later work, chiefly of a floral See also:

CHARACTER (Gr. xapareri7p, from xap&crew, to scratch)

character, has served for the decoration of costumes, ecclesiastical vestments, curtains and hangings, and the seats and backs of chairs . Under the See also:

RULE

rule of the See also:

dukes of See also:

BURGUNDY

Burgundy in the 15th century art in the See also:

SOUTHERN

southern provinces of the See also:

NETHERLANDS

Netherlands prospered Fxe . 5.-See also:

OVAL (Lat. ovum, egg)

Oval picture in silk embroidery: Fame scattering Flowers over See also:

SHAKESPEARE, WILLIAM (1564-1616)

Shakespeare's Tomb .

English work of the 18th century . greatly, and able artists were found to meet the wishes of those munificent rulers . The See also:

LOCAL

local See also:

SCHOOLS

schools of painting, which flourished under their patronage, appear to have very considerably influenced the embroiderers' art . See also:

GREAT

Great care and pains were given to reproduce as accurately as possible the painted See also:

CARTOON (Ital. cartone, pasteboard)

cartoon or picture which served as the See also:

MODEL (0. Fr. modelle, mod. modele; It. modello, pattern, mould; from Lat. modus, measure, standard)

model . The heads are individualized, and the folds of the draperies are laboriously worked out in detail . The See also:

MASONRY

masonry of buildings, the veinings of See also:

MARBLE (from Lat. marmor, Gr. pApµapos, shining stone)

marble, and the architectural enrichments are often represented with careful fidelity, and landscape backgrounds are shdwn in every detail . As in the case of the tapestries of the Netherlands—the finest which the world has seen—there can be no doubt that patrons of art and donors, when requiring embroideries to be made, secured the services of eminent painters for the designs . There are many examples of such careful work . A set of vestments known as the ornement de la Toison d'Or, now in the See also: