Best machine embroidery designs

A very considerable number of caps and head-dresses worked in this way are still existing. The caps are almost invariably of rounded form, with turned-up edges trimmed with gold lace. There are several in the museum at South Kensington, including one from the collection of Lord Zouche, and two from that of Sir Thomas Isham of Lamport Hall. The two latter (Plate 40) may belong to the early part of Elizabeth's reign. The ladies' head-dresses are commonly of a hooded shape, drawn together by a string at the back (Plate 40). The embroidery is sometimes in black alone, but oftener the stems are of plaited gold thread. It seems probable that these caps did not go entirely out of fashion until the reign of Charles I. Black was not always the colour chosen. A cap of the same form, with a pattern of roses, pansies, and strawberries in colours, the stems in gold, is in the museum (No. 2016, 1899).

The jacket was given by William IV. to the Viscountess Falkland, wife of the tenth viscount. It is recorded to have belonged to Queen Elizabeth. A large coverlet and a pillow-cover (Plate 37) of " black work," also belonging to the Viscount Falkland, may perhaps date from a little earlier in the same century. Each has a running pattern of vine- stems, the large leaves being filled with tiny diaper patterns. An embroidery of a similar class has lately been acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum (No. 252, 1902). The panels are shaped to form the parts of a tunic, which has never been made up (Plate 38). The pattern is almost entirely floral ; it consists of columbines, pansies, acorns, filberts, birds, butterflies, and insects. There is a tradition that this work was done by Mary, the daughter of Sir Henry Pierrepont and sister of the Earl of Kingston, who was married to Fulk Cartwright of Ossington in 1606.

The jacket or tunic of " black work " belonging to the Viscount Falkland has already been mentioned. By his permission it is illustrated in this volume (Plate 35). It is of linen, the embroidery being entirely in black silk. Amid characteristic floral work of the period are a number of devices of a quaint nature. A little flying-fish, which has leaped out of the water in order to avoid the gaping mouth of a large fish below, is attacked by a sea-bird from above ; a man of Herculean type, astride a crocodile, holds a writhing serpent in each hand. Other sub- jects are Actaeon devoured by his hounds, Bacchus beating a drum, a man on a lion, a stag pierced by an arrow, another pursued by a hound, a pelican in her piety, prancing horses, a camel, an elephant, a sea-horse, unicorns, monkeys, foxes, squirrels, birds, and fishes.

Tradition assigns an earlier origin to another pair, presented, together with other works of art associated with the Denny family, by Sir Edward Denny, Bart., to the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1882. They are of leather, with white satin gauntlets elaborately em- broidered and enriched with numerous seed- pearls. It is believed that they are the gloves recorded to have been given by Henry VIII. to Sir Anthony Denny, who was successively Groom of the Stole, a Privy Councillor, and an Executor of the King, and afterwards one of the guardians of the young king Edward VI. The design, however, seems to point to a later origin, and it is perhaps more likely that they are the pair given by James I. to Sir Edward Denny (afterwards Earl of Norwich), who, as Sheriff of Hertfordshire, received the king during his journey from Scotland.

The large cream -white satin coverlet* from Ireland, partly reproduced in Plate 42, is an important example of late Elizabethan work. It has a deep floral border, and a pattern of floral sprays in the middle. The materials used for the embroidery are silver- gilt and silver thread and silks of various colours. A practice not altogether commendable is exemplified here. Some of the petals of the flowers have been separately worked, and afterwards fixed to the satin by one edge only, so as to stand away from the ground. Such devices are not infrequently found in Elizabethan work. It is doubtful whether they should be employed at all. At any rate, we may condemn without hesitation the exaggeration to which the practice was carried in the succeeding period.

In another portrait at Hampton Court (No. 349), attributed by some to the artist Taddeo Zucchero, the queen wears a fancy- dress, consisting of a long, loose robe, em- broidered all over in colours, with stems of roses, pansies and other flowers, and birds. Her right hand rests on the head of a stag, and in one of the lower corners of the picture are some verses, conjectured to be of the queen's own composition. A portrait in the possession of the Mar- quess of Salisbury at Hatfield House is quainter still. The robe of the queen is embroidered all over with human eyes and ears, symbolical, no doubt, of the vigilance and wisdom of the illustrious wearer. There is in the Victoria and Albert Museum (No. 173, 1869), a loose tunic with long sleeves, dating from the reign of Eliza- beth. It is of cream-white silk, with em- broidery in silver-gilt and silver thread and silks of various colours. The flowers (roses, honeysuckle, lilies, and pansies) are enclosed within scrolls arranged in f...

At this critical period of our national history, the playfulness which characterized so many productions of the time is remark- able. Soldiers who made the name of Eng- land respected abroad, wrote the quaintest poetry at home. The language of the court succumbed to the general tendency, and its euphuistic affectations fitted well with the sen- timents it was employed to express. Design, too, did not escape. The ordered patterns of the earlier time give place to a medley of wandering stems with columbines, pansies, carnations, roses, tulips, honeysuckle, straw- berries, acorns, animals, birds, fishes, butter- flies, and insects. The numerous portraits of Elizabeth in the National Portrait Gallery, at Hampton Court, in noblemen's houses, and elsewhere illustrate the extent to which embroidery was used for costume decoration, and the style of design in vogue. Sometimes she wears a jacket with the favourite " black work " already referred to. A half-length portrait at Hamp- ...

It has a large and elaborate monogram in the middle, apparently of Katharine's name, and a small H above and below.* There was, however, a personage of equally exalted rank with Elizabeth, who is still more famous for her skill at embroidery her rival, Mary Queen of Scots. The number of em- broideries ascribed to this illustrious captive is legion. A glance is sufficient to discredit the attribution in most cases, but, as we shall see later, there is good reason for supposing that some of the needlework still preserved at Hardwick Hall is really by her hand. Garments, gloves, hangings, curtains, valances, covers, and numerous other things of like nature which have survived from the times of Elizabeth, testify to the skill and industry of the embroiderers at that period. The wardrobe of Elizabeth alone is said to have included three thousand dresses, and many of these were richly embroidered.

Such work became very popular during the reign of Elizabeth, and numerous examples are still to be found in country houses. It survived the reign of James I., but appears to have gone out of fashion in the time of his successor. One of the most important existing examples is the tunic belonging to the Viscount Falkland, which will be described later. Queen Elizabeth herself was a skilful needlewoman. There is in the Bodleian Library at Oxford an interesting little volume associated with her early years. It is "The Mirror or Glasse of the Synneful Soul," copied in her own handwriting by the young princess. The volume is dedicated " From Assherige, the last daye of the yeare of our Lord God 1544." The embroidered binding is conjectured to have been also the work of Elizabeth. It is adorned with interlacing bands in plaited gold and silver thread, enclosing a monogram of the letters KP. The book was intended as a present to the queen, Katharine Parr, hence the initials...

A cushion beneath the king's feet and the canopy behind his throne are enriched in a similar manner. Henry's first queen, Catherine of Aragon, and her equally unhappy daughter Mary, both sought solace from their cares in work- ing with the needle. Of Catherine it is related that during her seclusion at Buckden, while waiting for the final decision respecting the annulling of her marriage, she and her gentle- women "occupied themselves working with their own hands something wrought in needle- work, costly and artificially, which she in- tended to the honour of God to bestow upon some churches." * The class of embroidery known as " black work " or " Spanish work " generally in black silk on linen is said to have been introduced into England by this unfortunate Queen. At any rate, it appears to have first found favour in England about her time. The sombre effect was some- times relieved by the use of gold thread for the stems and other details.

A few years later, we read thus of the young Squire, in Chaucer's " Canterbury Tales' " Embrouded was he, as it were a meede Al ful of fresshe floures whyte and reede." In the following century, during the reign of Henry VI., and again in later reigns, the importation of foreign embroideries was for- bidden by statute. The sixteenth century was undoubtedly the great time for embroidered costume. King Henry VIII. loved such magnificence, and the monarch appears on the canvases of Hol- bein resplendent with gold-embroidered robes. An oil painting at Hampton Court * gives an excellent idea of the style and use of embroidery in this reign. The king is seated, with his queen Katharine Parr on his left ; next to the queen stands the Princess Eliza- beth, and on the other side are Prince Edward and Princess Mary.

The reason need not be sought far. They must have suffered to a much greater extent from the wear and tear of everyday use, and the influence of fashion in their case was no doubt of a more destructive nature. In the early Middle Ages, embroidery often served to adorn the ordinary costume of men and women, and was even employed . to emblazon the armorial bearings on the surcoat of the knight. Among the tattered coats of this latter class which have survived, that of Edward the Black Prince is the best known. It is still suspended, with his helmet, shield, and gauntlets over his monument in Canterbury Cathedral. The ground is of faded velvet, originally red and blue, em- broidered in gold with the Royal Arms of England.

HE Reformation practically put an end to ecclesiastical em- broidery in England, and the needlewomen thus lost their best patron. Not only so, but the skilful works of former times were, many of them, alienated or destroyed. A large number were taken abroad, and many were left behind only to be burnt for the sake of the precious metals used in the embroidery, or mutilated to serve other purposes. The lists of Church goods sold at the Reformation, include many vestments which passed in this way into private hands. " Many private men's par- lours/' we are told, "were hung with altar- cloths, their tables and beds covered with copes, instead of carpets and coverlids."* Embroideries thus transformed may still be seen at Hardwick Hall, and in other English mansions.

An embroidery, dating from the later years of the reign of Henry VIII., is illus- trated in Plate 32. It is an altar-frontal, of stamped crimson velvet, with applied groups of figures embroidered in silver-gilt and silver thread and coloured silks. In the middle is the Crucifixion, with the Virgin Mary and St. John the Evangelist on either side of the cross, standing on a strip of ground covered with flowers. On the left is a kneeling figure of Ralph Neville, fourth Earl of Westmor- land (b. 1499, d. 1550), who succeeded to the title in 1523; behind him kneel his seven sons. On the right is his v/ife, Lady Catherine Stafford* (d. 1555), daughter of the third Duke of Buckingham ; behind her are their thirteen daughters.

An embroidered velvet panel in the Vic- toria and Albert Museum, belonging to the early years of the sixteenth century, differs in character from any other embroideries of the period yet described. The ground is of plain crimson velvet, with a figure of St. Catherine of Alexandria in regal costume, elaborately worked in silks and gold and silver thread. She stands on a patch of earth, holding a book, and resting her left hand on the pommel of a sword. Behind her is the prostrate form of the Emperor Maximin, under whom she suffered martyrdom. One more example is mentioned here on account of the unusual way in which it has been preserved. In the British Museum there is an English manuscript book of the fourteenth century, known as Queen Mary's Psalter. Each side of the crimson velvet binding is embroidered with a large floral device of the form commonly found on vestments of the early Tudor period. It is evident that these scraps at one time formed part of a cope or chasuble.

The first is a cope,* now pre- served at Stonyhurst College. The ground, of velvet and cloth of gold, is recorded to have been woven for King Henry VII. at Florence. The pattern differs from almost all other known examples of the period in having been expressly designed and woven to suit the semicircular form of the cope. It consists of two large rose-stems with Tudor roses, encircling portcullises ensigned by crowns. The orphrey and hood were most probably embroidered in England. The orphrey has figures of saints under canopies, and the subject on the hood is the Annun- ciation. The chasuble is in the possession of Lord Arundell of Wardour, and is preserved in the chapel at Wardour Castle. It is of velvet, with a straight orphrey on the front, and a cross-shaped orphrey on the back, embroidered with scenes from the gospel history. The main ground is covered with Tudor roses, portcullises, fleurs-de-lys, and pomegranates, worked in high relief.

The pall of the Fishmongers' Company also belongs to the end of the fifteenth cen- tury. At one end is embroidered a figure of St. Peter (as the patron saint of fishermen) enthroned, with angels on either side swing- ing censers, and, at the other end, the Apostle receiving the keys from our Lord. The pall is also embroidered with New Testament subjects, and bears the arms of the company. The Vintners' pallf is of Italian velvet and cloth of gold, the lappets being of silk ; it is embroidered with St. Martin of Tours, a Pieta, and other subjects. Three palls were presented to the Mer- chant Taylors' Company in 1562, and one to the Stationers' in 1572. Others were pos- sessed by the Brewers', Coopers', Leather- sellers', and Founders' Companies.

The material is velvet and cloth of gold. On it are embroidered figures of the Virgin Mary and St. John the Baptist, and several members of the Fayrey family, with the arms of the Mercers 1 and Haberdashers' Companies. The Worcester pall is in the possession of the Clothiers' Company of that city. It bears every indication of having been made from church vestments. The long em- broidered bands with figures of saints are parts of orphreys, and the embroidered de- vices on the velvet angels, double-headed eagles, fleurs-de-lys, etc. are frequently found, as we have seen, on vestments of the end of the fifteenth century. A fine pall * of the same period is in the possession of the Saddlers' Company of Lon- don. The ground is of crimson velvet, em- broidered with angels surrounding the sacred monogram IHS, and with the arms of the company.

Three Palles of the same Cloth of Gould : the Lowest Earle began first. Alle the Palles were layd crosse over the Corpse." * Such palls were formerly possessed by almost every guild or fraternity of import- ance, for use at the burial of members. They were sometimes of a plain rectangular form, and sometimes provided with lappets to fall down the sides of the coffin. Examples are to be seen at Worcester, Norwich, Dunstable, Sudbury, and elsewhere, and several are in the possession of London companies. The embroideries on the muni- cipal pall at Sudbury may be compared with the chasuble from Hexham. The pall is of velvet, and is embroidered with figures of the dead in shrouds, the inscriptions on the scrolls being taken from the " Office of Matins for the Dead " and the " Litany of the Faithful Departed." It is of late fifteenth century work (Plate 31). The black pall in St. Gregory's Church, Norwich, has figures of angels bearing the souls of the departed.

It is of black velvet, with crimson velvet orphreys (Plate 30). Angels are blowing trumpets to awake the dead, and hold scrolls with the words SURGITE MORTUI and VENITE AD JUDICIUM. Figures of the rising dead are also represented, and angels bearing scrolls inscribed JUSTORUM ANIME and IN MANU DEI SUNT (Book of Wisdom, iii. i). The initials R. T. with the pastoral staff and mitre, and the rebus, doubtless have reference to the bishop or abbot to whom the chasuble belonged. Funeral palls of rich workmanship must at one time have existed in large numbers. Leland relates that, at the funeral of Prince Arthur in 1502, when the offerings of money had been made, " the Lord Powys went to the Queere Doore, where Two Gentlemen Ushers delivered him a riche Palle of Cloth of Gould of Tyssue, which he offred to the Corpse, where Two Officers of Armes received it, and laid it along the Corpse. The Lord of Dudley in like Manner offred a Palle, which the said officers laid over the Corpse. The L...

The frontal from Baunton is of satin in alternate breadths of red and yellow, the em- broidery being in gold thread and coloured silks (Plate 28). The main subject is the Crucifixion of our Lord, with an elaborate rebus below;* on either side are double- headed eagles at regular intervals. The frontal at Alveley church is of somewhat similar arrangementf Two chasubles from Hexham f have evidently been made from copes, as the radi- ating arrangement of the devices testifies. One is of crimson velvet; the cross-shaped orphrey is a curious example of patchwork, the left transom being made from the cope morse, and the right transom from odd frag- ments. The other chasuble, of blue velvet, has no figures; the floral designs are, how- ever, very beautiful, and render this vestment well worthy of study

The Chipping Campden frontal, like the cope mentioned on p. 54, has a ground of Italian damask of the later part of the fifteenth century (Plate 27). In the middle is the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. The floral patterns in horizontal rows on either side are simple and effective.* The frontal at Salisbury f has the Annun- ciation for its central subject. The Virgin Mary kneels to receive the angelic message ; between the two figures is a tall lily; and above the Virgin hovers the Holy Dove. The surrounding space is covered with half-length figures of angels, double-headed eagles, fleurs- de-lys, and other designs, worked in gold thread and coloured silks.

The embroidered fragment at Lutterworth, which has been attributed to the time of Wicklif, bears characteristic devices of the later years of the fifteenth century. An altar-cloth* at Lyng, preserves the remains of three vestments : (a) a cope of blue velvet, with cherubim and seraphim, double - headed eagles, and conventional flowers ; (/3) small portions of a cope of red velvet, with half-length figures of prophets ; (y) small portions of a vestment of orange velvet, with conventional flowers. Fragments of the orphreys are also included. At Littledean, an altar-cloth or herse- cloth is made of pieces of tunicles, the orphreys having figures of saints under canopies. A desk-hanging at Sutton Bengerf is similar to the cloth at Littledean. It has been much mutilated in the process of transformation from a vestment. The altar-cloths at Nor- wich and Buckland have been made from copes.

The ground below is strewn with flowers, and between the two figures is a lily in a vase. The surrounding devices present an unusual feature; upon them are monograms representing the word MARIA and the sacred monogram IHC. The cope at Skenfrith is of velvet ; the subject in the middle is the Virgin Mary borne aloft by three angels, with other angels around. The rest of the cope is covered with double-headed eagles, fleurs-de-lys, and floral devices. On the hood is a seated figure of the Virgin Mary holding the Infant Saviour in her arms. The orphrey is embroidered with figures of saints beneath canopies. A chasuble* at Hullavington has been converted into a square hanging for an altar. The cross-shaped orphrey from the back represents the Crucifixion of our Lord, with St. Mary Magdalene under a canopy below. Fragments of the front orphrey are placed at the corners. The remaining space is covered with seraphim holding scrolls inscribed " Da Gloriam Deo," fleurs-de-lys, and oth...

A fine cope, a few years later in date, was acquired not long ago by the Victoria and Albert Museum (Plate 23.)* It is of deep purple velvet, embroidered with gold and silver thread and coloured silks. The subject in the middle is the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. Above are two fleurs-de-lys, and below two roses. On the scrolls held by the three sur- rounding angels is the legend GLORIA IN EXCELSIS DEO. The remaining space is covered with floral devices of the usual character. On the hood is a seated figure of the Almighty Father, with three souls in a napkin. The orphreys have figures of apostles and saints beneath canopies of Gothic cha- racter. The date is about the year 1500. The chasuble reproduced in colour (Plate C) is of velvet. The Crucifixion of our Lord, an appropriate subject for the cross-shaped orphrey at the back of a chasuble, occurs on this example, and also on a purple velvet chasuble in the museum (No. 665, 1896). Both belong to the early years of the six- teenth ce...

The canopies show a Gothic tendency in some instances, but more frequently they are of a Renaissance character. We have had occasion to notice early in our history (p. 7) the custom among kings and persons of high rank of presenting their robes to be altered for ecclesiastical purposes. Even as late as the sixteenth century, the practice had not died out. In the will of Sir Ralph Verney the younger, proved in 1525, occurs the following clause : * " I will that the gownes of dame Anne Verney, late my wife, doo make vestiments to be given to Churches, according to the discrecion of myne Executours." One of the earliest examples of embroidery belonging to this class is in the church at Cirencester in Gloucestershire. It appears to have been originally a cope, but it has been much mutilated, and adapted for use as a pulpit-hanging. The ground is of blue velvet, with embroidery of angels and floral devices. One of the angels holds a shield of arms, with the inscription, " Ora...

A central subject, frequently the Assumption of the Virgin, is surrounded by numerous devices disposed in a radiating manner, so as to fall into position when the cope is worn. The devices are chiefly double- headed eagles, fleurs-de-lys, Tudor roses, and others of a floral character ; they are usually extended by a curious arrangement of radi- ating lines, dotted with spangles, a feature which adds considerably to the lightness and gracefulness of the work, and helps to soften the contrast between the gold embroidery and the dark ground. Among these devices are almost always placed a number of six- winged seraphs, standing upon wheels (evidently borrowed from the description of Ezekiel's vision), and holding scrolls inscribed usually with the legend DA GLORIAM DEO.* Chasubles and altar-frontals gene- rally have devices of the same type ; frequently they bear evidence of having been made from copes.

On the right orphrey are SS. Mary Magdalene (?), Bartholomew, and Apollonia. The whole work is very poor. The figures are short and clumsy; the twisted columns have been replaced by square pillars, and the foliations filling the spandrels are large and misshapen. Towards the close of the fifteenth century, English ecclesiastical embroidery developed a marked style, differing considerably from that of earlier periods, and easily distin- guished from contemporary foreign work. Vestments dating from the half-century im- mediately preceding the suppression of the monasteries still remain in churches, others are in private possession or in museums. Many have found their way abroad at different times, and through various causes, and some of these have not yet gained recognition as English work.* The favourite ground material is a plain velvet, although satin is frequently used, and sometimes silk damask.

The first symptoms of degeneracy are noticeable in an orphrey at South Ken- sington (No. 828, 1903) acquired from the Hochon collection. It is of linen em- broidered in gold thread and coloured silks, with the following saints : Helena, James the Less, Paul the Apostle, Lawrence, Bartholo- mew, Catherine of Alexandria, Andrew and another (Plate 16). The canopies are sup- ported by twisted columns, and have large foliated crockets. This orphrey was probably embroidered shortly before the middle of the fourteenth century.* As the century advances, the work loses still more of its fine qualities. An illustration will be found in a series of small panels representing scenes in the history of the Virgin Mary f (Plate 20). They are as follows : The meeting of Anna and Joachim at the Golden Gate ; the Birth, Presentation, Education, and Marriage of the Virgin ; the Annunciation ; the Salutation ; the Virgin * Photographs of two English embroidered orphreys, with the shields of King Edward III...

These fragments appear to have at one time formed parts of a vestment. The work is in gold thread and silks on a silk ground, now faded to pale brown. The subjects are figures of apostles and saints beneath canopies. The shields of arms beneath some of the figures are of great interest as giving a close date to the work. The arms are those of Clinton and Leyburne. William de Clinton, first Earl of Huntingdon, married Juliana de Leyburne in 1329; and the embroideries, doubtless, have some con- nection with that event. A very beautiful example of embroidery * of about the same period as the Catworth cushions, or perhaps a few years earlier, is partly illustrated in colour on Plate B (also Plate 15). It is a band of deep red velvet, the embroidery being in gold, silver, and coloured silks. The band is in two sections, and may perhaps have formed the apparels of an alb. There are ten subjects included within an arcade of broad arches, and separated from one another by delicately wrought bu...

Copes of this type are preserved at Toledo, in St. John Lateran at Rome, at Bologna, and at Pienza. Another, in fragments, was formerly kept at Mount St. Mary's College, Chesterfield. It has in the middle the following subjects : our Lord and the Virgin Mary enthroned (at the top), the Adoration of the Magi (in the middle), and the Annunciation (below). The arcades on either side are formed of inter- lacing oak stems with masks, and enclose figures of saints and apostles, with angels in the spandrels. On the embroidered orphrey are figures of episcopal and royal saints. This cope belongs to the early years of the fourteenth century. The fine cope in Toledo Cathedral (Plates 10, 11) is said to have belonged to the Cardi- nal Gil de Albornoz (d. 1367), and is appa- rently referred to in his will (plumale . . . de opere Anglicano). It is earlier than his time, however, and must have been embroidered in the later years of the thirteenth century. The design is in gold thread and coloure...

At St. Bertrand de Comminges, in the department of Var, France, are preserved two copes, evidently of English workmanship. They are reputed to have been the gift of Bertrand de Goth, at one time bishop of the diocese, later transferred to Bordeaux, and finally elevated to the papacy in 1300, taking the name of Clement V. The gift is said to have been made on the occasion of a visit by him to his old cathedral in 1309. One of the copes is covered with small circles and ovals linked together, and having quaint reptiles at the intersections. The circles enclose figures of prophets, and within the ovals are birds. The larger intervening spaces are filled with scenes in the Passion of our Lord. On the hood is our Lord enthroned, with , the Virgin Mary seated beside him.* The copes of Syon, Daroca, Anagni, Ascoli, and St. Bertrand de Comminges, all agree in having their entire surface broken up into formal spaces quatrefoils, circles, or ovals.

The chasuble and the two dalmatics are apparently made from two copes. The first is embroidered with scenes from the life and miracles of St. Nicholas; fragments of this are also included in the dalmatics. Among the other scenes represented on the dalmatics are the martyrdoms of St. Thomas of Canter- bury and St. Edmund the King. A fine cope from Ascoli, now in the posses- sion of Mr. J. Pierpont Morgan (Plates 8, 9) is somewhat similar in arrangement to that at Anagni. The three circular compartments down the middle enclose representations of the Head of our Lord, the Crucifixion, and the Virgin and Child with two angels holding candelabra. In the other circles are represented the martyrdoms of St. Peter and the follow- ing popes : Marcellus (drawing a harrow), John, Clement (thrown into the sea), Stephen (decapitated), Fabianus ; then six canonized popes SS. Silvester, Hilarius, Leo, Gregory, Lucius, and Anastasius ; and lastly, four popes of the thirteenth century Alexander, Urban, ...

Angels, some with instruments of music, others holding crowns, occupy the intervening spaces. On the orphrey are royal and ecclesiastical saints under canopies. These canopies have the lions' or leopards' heads, so frequently seen in English work. The cope may have been worked a few years after the Syon cope, but not later than the end of the thirteenth century. It is on record that Pope Boniface VIII. made a gift to the cathedral at Anagni, near Rome, of some English embroideries. The treasury of the cathedral is very rich in em- broidered vestments, but some difference of opinion prevails as to which of them are English. I have never seen the vestments, but from an examination of photographs, I am convinced that a cope, a chasuble (Plate 7), and two dalmatics are all entirely of English embroidery, with the exception of the orphrey of the chasuble, which is German, and added probably at the time that this and the dalmatics were made from fragments of copes.* On the cope are ...

The heads of the three missing figures may still be seen round the lower edge. It was, perhaps, at the time of this curtailment that the present orphrey, morse, and outer border were added ; the last, as Mr. St. John Hope has remarked, being made from a stole and maniple.* Both orphrey and outer band are covered with shields of arms, which have been fully described by Dr. Rock.f That eminent authority points out that many of the shields belong to families well known to have been living in the neighbourhood of Coventry. He concludes that the orphreys, as well as the cope, were embroidered in the vicinity of that town. There is in the Madrid Museum a cope,J formerly at the Daroca College, which in some respects resembles the Syon cope. The subjects here are also enclosed by barbed quatrefoils, these being united by coiling dragons. Within the quatrefoils are repre- sented the Crucifixion, the Annunciation

Mary standing at the foot of the cross. In the lowest quatrefoil is the Archangel Michael transfixing the dragon with his lance. To the right of the subject first described is represented the Death of the Virgin Mary in the presence of the Apostles, and, to the left, her Burial. Beyond this last scene is our Lord meeting St. Mary Magdalene in the garden, and next, in the angle of the cope, is St. Philip. To the left of the Cru- cifixion group is St. Peter, and beyond, St. Bartholomew. Below St. Peter is St. Andrew. On the right side, next to the scene representing the Death of the Virgin Mary is our Saviour overcoming the Unbelief of St. Thomas, and beyond, in the right angle of the cope, St. James the Less. To the right of the Crucifixion group is St. Paul ; next, St. Matthew ; and below, St. James the Greater. In the intervening spaces are represented the three hierarchies of angels. Two other figures, those of a layman and a cleric, are placed near the long orphrey. Each figure bear...

The cope dates from the latter half of the thirteenth century, and is conse- quently older than that foundation ; but it appears to have been taken there at an early period. On the dissolution of the monas- teries, the cope accompanied the nuns in their wanderings through Flanders, France, and Portugal. In the year 1830, the nuns came back to England from Lisbon, and brought the cope with them. Thirty-four years later it became the property of the nation, and found a permanent home at South Kensington. The embroidery is in gold, silver, and silks of various colours, the linen ground being completely hidden by needlework. The cope is covered with interlacing barbed quatrefoils in red, with gold outline, the intervening spaces being green. In the middle, within the topmost quatrefoil is represented our Lord seated on a throne, holding the orb in His left hand, and stretch- ing out His right arm to give His blessing to His mother, who is seated on the throne beside Him, with her hands upr...

A great fondness is shown for the seraph or cherub on the wheel, borrowed from the vision of Ezekiel. Such angelic figures form a prominent feature in English embroidery from the thirteenth century to the sixteenth. It is natural, too, that English saints should be often represented. Among them, St. Thomas of Canterbury and St. Edmund the King and Martyr, occur most frequently. Of course, it would not be safe to assign an English origin to an embroidery showing any one alone of the characteristics mentioned above. No monopoly can be claimed for some among them such as the seraph and the vine foliage, for example, but where a combination of these features is found, it is fairly safe to conclude that the work is Eng- lish. It is, of course, not possible to be absolutely certain in every case; but the English origin of the examples about to be described is strongly supported by the evidence of the design and workmanship, and often by tradition as well. All are agreed that among English em...

In its broad sense it indicates simply what the words imply, opus being of course restricted to the work of the needle. Among the characteristics of this " English work," one which in itself has been considered to afford sufficient evidence of such an origin is found in the treatment of the faces. These are generally worked in a kind of spiral starting from the centre of the cheek; the effect is afterwards emphasized by the pressure of a heated iron instrument of rounded form. There are other characteristics which will be seen to be very usual in \ti\sopusAnglicanum of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The bearded figures generally present a shaven upper lip, and the foreheads are abnormally high and broad. The hair and beard are often of an unnatural colour. Birds are very frequently represented, particularly in the spandrels of the canopies. As regards architectural details, twisted or interlaced columns are not uncommon, and a leopard's head with protruding tong...

That so many English vestments of this early time are to be found abroad, need not surprise us. There is documentary evidence of some having been thus destined from the first. For example, Edward I. made a gift to Pope Boniface VIII. vi z. pluviale de opere Anglicano, and payment is recorded to have been made by his son Edward II. for a cope which was to be sent to the pope as a present from the queen. Royal gifts were also made to churches of this country. An inventory * of Canterbury Cathedral in 1315-16, records the gift by Edward I. of a cope embroidered with the Story of the Patriarch Joseph. The inventories of this cathedral, as well as those of London,! Lincoln, Peterborough, and others, give evidence of an astonishing number of embroidered vestments at that time in the country.

HE year 1300 may be taken to indicate the middle of a period of very high artistic attain- ment in England. The excel- lence is no less marked in embroidery than in other branches. During this period English embroidery was, in fact, at its best. Surviving examples are to be found in our own country, and also in France, Italy, and Spain, and it may be elsewhere. From them we may judge for ourselves whether the fame which they acquired in their day was justified. It is easy to see faults in them. The heads are dispropor- tionately large, the eyes too staring, the colouring is sometimes unnatural blue and green, for example, being favourite colours for the hair, and the perspective is weak. With all this, there is a venerableness and dignity in the figures, and a genuine religious spirit, which later and more correctly designed work does not always possess

This vestment has been much mutilated, and it is now of the degenerate fiddle-shaped pattern which has become popular in modern times. The material is a blue satin with embroidery of gold thread and coloured silks. There is on the back a broad orphrey having four quatrefoil compartments enclosing the following subjects : The Crucifixion of our Lord, the Virgin and Child, SS. Peter and Paul, and the Stoning of St. Stephen. The intervening spaces are covered with scroll- work of the beautiful type characteristic of the early Gothic period. The rest of the back and the whole of the front are em- broidered with lions and griffins enclosed by scrollwork. The chasuble can be traced back as far as the year 1786, when it formed the subject of some correspondence in the Gentleman's Magazine* There were then a stole and a maniple belonging to it, embroidered with heraldry, apparently indicating that they were made for Margaret de Clare, wife of Edmund Plantagenet, Earl of Cornwall. The posse...

The cathedral library also contains some later fragments of embroidered silk vestments. These were found in the year 1861 in the stone coffin of Walter de Cantelupe, the bishop who succeeded William de Blois, and presided over the see from 1236 to 1266. The embroidery is in gold thread and coloured silks. The principal fragment represents a number of kings, each with crown and sceptre, seated amid scrolled foliage. The arrangement suggests a tree of Jesse, a popular subject with embroiderers. It appa- rently belongs to the time of the bishop in whose coffin it was found. Another fragment of the same vestment (Plate 4), which appears to have gone astray soon after its discovery, has been lately acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum (No. 1380, 1901).* It is interesting to compare these frag- ments with a complete chasuble, perhaps a few years later in date, in the museum

They are embroidered with gold thread and silks of different colours or shades, although the whole has now become almost a uniform brown. Full-length figures of Apostles and Prophets are separated by plain straight bands. Some of the names may still be read : they are BARTOLOMEVS, IHOAN (sic), [Ia]COBBVS, ANDRE[as], PAVLVS, TADEVS, DANIEL. Two other fragments are of similar work (Plate 3). On one is the seated figure of a king, with crown and sceptre, the name ADELBERTVS being inscribed above. It probably represents St. Ethelbert, King of the East Angles, and patron of Here- ford Cathedral, who was beheaded by King Offa, of Mercia, in 794. The other figure is that of a bishop in alb, chasuble, and mitre, holding a pastoral staff of primitive form. The inscription NICO[la]VS appears to indicate that this figure represents St. Nicholas of Bari, a saint who, as patron of children (" Santa Claus "), was popular in England as elsewhere throughout Christen- dom. The figures are att...

A building was at last erected for its reception, where it has been on view almost without interruption since 1842. In that year it was relined, and the injured portions restored. Very few examples of English needlework of the twelfth century are known. There is some doubt as to the correctness of the tra- dition which assigns to Archbishop Thomas & Becket, of Canterbury (martyred 1170), the beautiful chasuble and mitre in Sens Cathe- dral. The golden scrollwork with which each is embroidered is of a simple and dignified character. They may perhaps be English, but the influence of Byzantine tradition was still dominant, and national characteristics had not strongly developed. We are on safer ground with regard to some important fragments preserved in the library of Worcester Cathedral. These consist of shreds of vestments, taken in the year 1870 from the stone coffin of a bishop, probably William de Blois, who held the see from 1218 to 1236. Some portions of a silken stole and mani...

It represents, in a long series of scenes, the history of the Norman conquest of England, explanatory inscriptions in Latin being added to the subjects throughout. The scenes may be thus briefly described, following the guidance of the Latin inscrip- tions explaining each subject: (i)* King Edward the Confessor seated on a throne, addresses two persons, one of whom is Harold ; (2) Harold rides to Bosham, and (3) enters the church there ; (4) he sets sail, and (5 and 6) lands in Ponthieu, (7) where he is apprehended by Count Guy, (8) conducted to Beaurain, and (9) imprisoned there ; (10) Harold and Guy parley; (n) Duke William's messengers come to Guy; (12) William's messengers ; (13) a messenger comes to Duke William, and (14 and 15) Guy conducts Harold to the Duke, (16 and 17) and they both come to William's palace

The monkish chronicler aforesaid has preserved an anecdote of Pope Innocent IV. which has been often quoted, but cannot well be omitted from a work dealing with the subject. It is said that the pope, admiring some gold-embroidered vestments, and asking where they were made, learnt that they were English. Forthwith, we are told, he caused messages to be sent to the abbots of the Cistercian order in England that he desired to have some gold embroideries sent to him. This incident is assigned to the year 1246. The story in itself is sufficient to show that English work was already becoming famous on the continent of Europe before the middle of the thirteenth century. Among actual existing examples of the period covered by this chapter, the first place must be assigned to the famous embroidery now preserved in the Museum at Bayeux in Normandy. Although perhaps not strictly English, but rather Norman work, it claims a reference in this book (Plate 2). The work is so well known as the "...

I give the lands of Quetchou in Cotentin, with two dwellings in England. And I have made all these bequests with the consent of my husband."* This document affords a striking illus- tration of the conversion of secular articles to ecclesiastical uses. There is a tradition that this same queen despoiled the Abbey of Abingdon of its richest vestments, refusing to be put off with inferior ones.f In the following century, there is a further instance on record of English embroideries having been sent out of the country. A present of such to an English pope would naturally be acceptable. It is therefore not surprising that when Robert, Abbot of St. Albans, was visiting Pope Adrian IV.

HE Norman Conquest does not seem to have given any appre- ciable check to the production of embroideries in England. Among the documents bearing on the period, the will of Matilda, queen of William the Conqueror, is of some interest. It was made the year of her death (1083), and is now preserved in the National Library in Paris. Among her benefactions is the following " I give to the Abbey of the Holy Trinity [at Caen, founded by herself] my tunic, worked at Winchester by Alderet's wife, and the mantle embroidered with gold, which is in my chamber, to make a cope. Of my two golden girdles, I give that which is orna- mented with emblems for the purpose of suspending the lamp before the great altar. I give my large candelabra, made at Saint Lo, my crown, my sceptre, my cups in their cases, another cup made in England, with all my horse-trappings, and all my vessels except

monks, flying from William the Conqueror's approach, carried it to Lindisfarne for safety. The shrine, while at Chester-le-Street, was visited in the year 934 by King Athelstan, who is recorded to have offered among other things a stole and maniple. Canon Raine, who records these facts,* concludes that the stole and maniple are those which have been so wonderfully preserved to us ; and as Athelstan was stepson of Aelfflaeda, whose name appears on the vestments, there is every probability of such being the case.t The embroideries are among the most precious existing relics of Anglo-Saxon art. The figures are represented frill-length, each raised on a curious mound, and having a canopy of foliage above. As might be expected, they show a good deal of the Byzantine con- ventionality which was then so prevalent. The work is beautifully executed, and speaks eloquently of the skill of the Anglo-Saxon needlewomen, foreshadowing the wonderful work which three centuries later was to become s...