A visit to the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge
Embroidered portrait, English c1660.
Ivory silk embroidered with polychrome silks, metal threads, purl, coral beads and seed pearls. The head is of carved wood, covered in linen with painted features, real hair and crystal teardrops.
The portrait appears to be of Queen Henrietta Maria (1609-1669), wife of Charles 1. The high quality of the embroidery suggests it was made in a professional workshop
I had great difficulty photographing this piece as it was displayed in a cabinet which reflected the very dim lighting, which meant that not only was there not sufficient light to illuminate the piece, but also that there were patches of embroidery hidden by reflections.
I have done the best I can with what I had.
This was truly the most wonderful piece of stumpwork I have ever seen and the quality just shone through.
My other difficulty was that the light levels in this room were on motion sensors, which only became apparent when i was sketching parts of this portrait and I was plunged into darkness. I eventually solved the problem by flapping my arms about, which caused much amusement to a visitor who wandered in during the process.
It is worth going to this museum for this piece alone.
A visit to the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge
Embroidered portrait, English c1660.
Ivory silk embroidered with polychrome silks, metal threads, purl, coral beads and seed pearls. The head is of carved wood, covered in linen with painted features, real hair and crystal teardrops.
The portrait appears to be of Queen Henrietta Maria (1609-1669), wife of Charles 1. The high quality of the embroidery suggests it was made in a professional workshop
I had great difficulty photographing this piece as it was displayed in a cabinet which reflected the very dim lighting, which meant that not only was there not sufficient light to illuminate the piece, but also that there were patches of embroidery hidden by reflections.
I have done the best I can with what I had.
This was truly the most wonderful piece of stumpwork I have ever seen and the quality just shone through.
My other difficulty was that the light levels in this room were on motion sensors, which only became apparent when i was sketching parts of this portrait and I was plunged into darkness. I eventually solved the problem by flapping my arms about, which caused much amusement to a visitor who wandered in during the process.
It is worth going to this museum for this piece alone.