_Division of Embroidered Books according to the designs upon them._
The designs on embroidered books may be roughly divided into four
classes--Heraldic, Figure, Floral, and Arabesque.
The Heraldic designs always denote ownership, and are most frequently
found on Royal books bound in velvet, rarely occurring on silk or satin,
and never, as far as I have been able to ascertain, on canvas. The
Figure designs may be subdivided into three smaller classes, viz.:--
I. Scriptural, _e.g._ representations of Solomon and the
Queen of Sheba, Jacob wrestling with the Angel, David, etc.
II. Symbolical, _e.g._ figures of Faith, Hope, Peace,
Plenty, etc.
III. Portraits, _e.g._ of Charles I., Queen
Henrietta Maria, Duke of Buckingham, etc.
The Scriptural designs are most generally found on canvas-bound books;
the Symbolical figures, and Portraits, on satin, rarely on velvet. The
Floral and Arabesque designs are most common on small and unimportant
works bound in satin, but they occur now and then on both canvas and
velvet books. The true arabesques have no animal or insect forms among
them, the prophet Mohammed having forbidden his followers to imitate any
living thing.
It may further be noted that heraldic designs on embroidered books are
early, having been made chiefly during the sixteenth century, and that
the figure, floral, and arabesque designs most usually belong to the
seventeenth century.
Pages:
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40