Embroidered pictures, samplers and everyday objects survive from as early as the 16th century, when Mary, Queen of Scots was a noted needlewoman.

Although Elizabethan needlework is rare today, a surprising number of early pieces dating from the 17th century onwards have survived. They include both so-called needle paintings, which present a picture in the form of embroidery, and also decorative household items such as bed- hangings, fire screens and cushions.

Wools, silks and satins have all been in and out of fashion, stitched onto a variety of backgrounds from silk to canvas. All types of work are collectable today, although fewer pieces on silk have survived because of the more delicate nature of the fabric.

Stumpwork and Crewel Work

A type of needlework popular throughout r7th-century Britain was stumpwork. Images were built up with minute layers of buttonhole stitches to form three-dimensional `stump’ pictures. In these, figures with stump- work robes were given padded satin faces, carved wooden hands and seed-pearl necklaces, and set among exotic or imaginary birds, beasts and landscapes.

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Stumpwork panels were generally sewn on satin with untwisted floss silks, which could be separated into very fine threads. Extra sparkle was added with coiled, silver ‘purl’ embroidery wire and sequins. Panels were often mounted on wooden baseboards and then made up into such objects as caskets, cabinets and mirror frames. In many cases acid from the wood has eaten into the satin ground, causing it to become brittle and cracked. Such damage severely limits the value of a piece; for example, an elaborate casket in perfect condition can sell at auction for up to £8o,000, whereas one that is damaged or faded may go for £800 or less.

Loosely twisted wool yam — crewel — was used extensively in needlework. It was the usual yarn for the numerous embroidered bedhangings made in the 17th century, whose designs often came from imported Indian textiles showing the ‘tree of life’.

Many bedhangings include embroidered flowers, or other motifs, cut from earlier crewel work and used on a sturdier background. A bed curtain of this type can be bought for around £200, while a completely original piece might cost £r000-£2000.

Wool was the main embroidery material until the 178os, especially for fire screens, chair backs, card-table covers, cushions and pictures. A typical fire screen would depict a couple in a pastoral setting, worked in tent stitch (a small, diagonal stitch). Fire screens can fetch upwards of £600, depending on the design, condition and type of mounting.

Samples

For several hundred years young girls produced samplers as needlework exercises. The older, r7th-century samplers are generally long, thin rectangles which incorporate alphabets, numbers and bands of floral and geometric embroidery. They are sometimes finished with needlepoint lace. Most 18 thcentury samplers are squarer, and often have a religious theme. Collectors generally prefer the more pictorial pieces, which will sell for between Er 00 and several thousand pounds. A map dating from the late r8th century might fetch £100-£300.

More varied 19th-century samplers can be found, ranging from pictures of the girl’s house to moralistic verses. The most valuable are always those with striking or amusing subjects. These can be worth ten times as much as samplers with standard religious texts or numbers and alphabets. Late 19th-century mourning samplers, stitched in memory of a member of the family, are less sought after and generally sell for £ 100 or less.

Pictures on Satin and Silk

The use of fine silks embroidered on satin came hack into fashion in the late 18th century. Embroideries from this date have a lighter, more delicate feel to them. Some can even he mistaken for engravings at first glance, although closer inspection reveals that black and ivory silks, and even human hair, have been used to create this impression. In good condition, a piece about 18 X 12 in (46 x 30 cm) can fetch £200-£300.

Pictures combining embroidery and painting on silk were produced in quantity between 1780 and 1820, most of them with sentimental themes. Difficult parts, such as hands, faces and the sky, Were painted with watercolours rather than stitched. Few of these have survived in perfect condition, as light and temperature variations over the years have damaged the silk background. In many cases, the embroidery has remained perfect while the background has almost entirely disintegrated. Large and well-preserved examples generally sell for £400-£600.

Berlin Woolwork

A revolutionary new technique for chemically dyeing wool, discovered in the 1830s, transformed the wool industry and provided a range of brightly coloured wools, dyed in Berlin, which inspired a craze for needlework. German wool manufacturers also marketed coloured design charts from which embroideries could be copied onto canvas.

Berlin woolwork was popular throughout the 19th century but reached its peak between 1850 and 1860. Fire screens, bell pulls, hats, slippers, gloves, book covers and many other items can be found decorated with the colourful Berlin wools. Beadwork, three- dimensional plushwork and glass eyes were incorporated into many pieces to add texture and interest; these can go for up to £800.

More elaborate needlework reproduced famous paintings of the day by artists such as Sir Edwin Henry Landseer. These are now among the least sought after of Berlin wool- work items, and even a large, fine piece in a good mount can fetch as little as £1 00-£300.

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