Thu Nov 1, 2018 09:04 AM

Morning Modelbuch (11/1/2018)

Like a lot of people interested in historical embroidery, my first book on blackwork embroidery was Mary Gostelow’s _Blackwork_ published in 1977. My first big coif project used the pattern on the cover. Before I knew how to look for other things, I really dug through that book.

One of the pieces in it that always intrigued me was the blackwork picture called the Shepheard Buss, held by the V&A. It’s not that similar to many other embroideries, since most pieces that pictorial are more apt to be in polychrome. Gostelow ties it back to emblem books and that sent me paging through Paradin, an experience I thoroughly enjoyed. Still, I hadn’t seen much similar to it.

Probably why I was do thrilled to see this one color embroidered cover in the St. Gallen Textilmuseum. Made in Stuttgart and embroidered with the date 1632, it tells the Old Testament story of Joseph and has a central emblem that is a dead ringer for those from Alciato. The outer bits look a lot like the composition of the much earlier Tristan Quilts.

More fun stuff to match!

http://m.vam.ac.uk/collections/item/O78790/shepheard-buss-picture-unknown/