It is generally considered that embroidered books are extremely
delicate, but this is not so; they will stand far more wear than would
be imagined from their frail appearance. The embroidered work actually
protects the satin, and such signs of wear as are visible are often
found rather in the satin itself, where unprotected, than in the work
upon it. In many cases a peculiar appearance, which is often mistaken
for wear, is seen in the case of representations of insects,
caterpillars, or butterflies particularly. These creatures, or parts of
them, appear to consist only of slight stitches of plain thread,
suggesting either that the work has never been finished, or else that
the finished portions have worn away. The real fact is, however, that
these places have been originally worked with small bright pieces of
peacock's feather, which have either tumbled out or been eaten away by
minute insects, a fate to which it is well known peacocks' feathers are
particularly liable.
The late Lady Charlotte Schreiber, who was a great collector of pieces
of old embroidery, among a host of other curious things possessed the
only perfect instance of work of this kind of the seventeenth century I
have ever been fortunate enough to find. It was a very realistic
caterpillar, closely and completely worked with very small pieces of
peacocks' feathers, sewn on with small stitches, quite confirming the
opinion I had already formed as to the original filling in of the usual
'bald' spaces representing such objects.
Pages:
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112