October, 1915 
37 
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The Collectors 1 Department of Antiques and Curios 
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Some Rare Embroideries of the 
Stuart Period 
HE Stuart period of embroideries is 
one of great interest to the collector. 
A few years ago comparatively little atten¬ 
tion was paid to examples of English em¬ 
broidered work of the Seventeenth Cen¬ 
tury. Specimens of the sort are now eager¬ 
ly sought for, not only by private collectors, 
but by public museums as well. True it is 
that the English embroideries of the Seven¬ 
teenth Century are not comparable in ar¬ 
tistic quality with those of earlier periods, 
although the technical skill displayed there¬ 
in, particularly in the class known as stump- 
work, has not been surpassed in English 
needlework of any period since that of the 
very early ecclesiastical embroideries. Cer¬ 
tain of its characteristic patterns survived 
the Elizabethan reign, only to degenerate 
into what, during King James’ time, one 
must confess to be some of the most unin¬ 
teresting work in the whole history of Eng¬ 
lish embroidery. Some quilted work, in¬ 
spired by oriental design and certain crewels 
for hangings, were exceptions. This ori¬ 
ental influence was derived from the rapidly 
developing intercourse, through commerce, 
of England with India and with China, 
which marked the reign of James I and that 
of the two Charles (a proclamation of 
Charles I, in 1631, for instance, permitted 
the importation from the East Indies of 
“quilts of China embroidered with gold”). 
Obelisks and pyramids were favorite devices 
with the embroiderer of James I, just as 
they were with wood-carvers and silver¬ 
smiths of the day, a fact interesting to note, 
CONDUCTED BY GARDNER TEALL 
ij Readers of House & Garden, who are in- | 
1 terested in antiques and curios, are invited | 
| to address any inquiries on these subjects | 
| to the Collectors’ Department, House & | 
1 Garden, 440 Fourth Avenue, New York, f 
1 N. Y. Inquiries should be accompanied by 
| stamps for return postage. Foreign cor- \ 
I respondents may enclose postage stamps l 
1 of their respective countries. 
as the employment of such devices often 
aids the collector to fix the period of an 
object he may be studying. Towards the 
end of this reign it became fashionable to 
represent religious subjects in needlework. 
The manufacture of tapestry in England 
flourished side by side with that of embroid¬ 
ery throughout James I’s reign and the 
reigns of Charles I and Charles II, and it 
was from tapestry subjects that the needle¬ 
work pictures of the Stuart period derived 
Embroidered sachet by Lady Mary Fairfax, 
wife of the second Duke of Buckingham. 
Stump-work of the Stuart period (Charles 
1). Collection of Mr. Thomas Peck 
their inspiration. So thoroughly established 
had their vogue become, that although the 
fabrication of tapestry rapidly declined dur¬ 
ing the end of the reign of Charles II, em¬ 
broidered pictures still held their own. 
The petit-point or tent-stitch was effec¬ 
tively employed in the tapestry-embroideries 
of this period. In its earliest form this 
stitch was worked over a single thread and 
produced a massed effect of very fine lines. 
As Huish points out, these tapestry-em¬ 
broideries of the Stuart period were scarce¬ 
ly inferior, as mirrors of the fashions of 
the time to paintings by Van Dyck or en¬ 
gravings by Hollar. This authority says 
that these picture embroideries “are the 
product of hands which very certainly 
knew the cut of every garment, and the 
intricacy of every bow, knot, and point, and 
which would take a pride in rendering them 
not only with accuracy, but in the latest 
mode.” 
The illustrations acompanying this article 
picture a rare and interesting collection of 
needlework of the Stuart period, small in 
extent, but precious in historical value. The 
objects consist of an embroidered jewel- 
cabinet and a number of small pieces, all 
the handiwork of Lady Mary Fairfax, in 
the reign of Charles I. Lady Mary was the 
daughter of Sir Thomas Fairfax and the 
Lady Anne Vere de Vere. She subsequent¬ 
ly became the unhappy wife of the notori¬ 
ous profligate, George Villiers, second Duke 
of Buckingham. This cabinet and its con¬ 
tents is a family heirloom which has de¬ 
scended to its present owner, Mr. Thomas 
Peck, a Canadian collector, by whose per- 
(Continued on poge 70) 
An embroidered jewel-cabinet of the Stuart period (Charles I), the A pin-cushion, sachet, needle-case, two jewel-boxes and specimens of 
work of Lady Mary Fairfax. The long stitchwork is especially inter- beadwork, embroidered by Lady Mary Fairfax. From the collection 
esting. Collection of Mr. Thomas Peck of Mr. Thomas Peck 
