Heraldic Embroidery

Background

Heraldic embroidery has existed as long as heraldry has been used as a form of personal identification. Heraldic motifs can be worked in just about any stitching technique used in the pre-1600 period.

Materials Used

• wool thread on linen ground using couching work.
• silk thread on linen or silk ground tent stitch, brick stitch, split stitch
• Gold Work on linen, silk or other grounds

Extant Pieces

To search for V and A pieces use this website - http://m.vam.ac.uk/collections/ and type in holding number (eg T.120-1932)

• Cushion Cover (c.1540) - V and A - T.120-1932 - silk thread in tent stitch on linen
• Calthorpe Purse (c. 1540) - V and A - T.246-1927 - silk thread in tent stitch on linen
• Tent Stitch Slip (1590-1600) - V and A - T.46-1972 - silk thread in tent stitch on linen
• Pillow Cover (1592) - V and A - T.262-1968 - silk thread in tent stitch on linen with silver gilt thread
• In National Museum of Denmark - http://www.mv.helsinki.fi/home/sojonen/netmus.html
• The Malterer Hanging - wool on linen, contains the arms of the Malterer Family.
• Mamluk Heraldic Badge - Egypt, North Africa, Mamluk period, late 14th century linen, silk embroidery, slanted counted filling stitch, stem stitch Ashmolean Museum, inv.no.1984.86 - http://www.cloudband.com/frames.mhtml/magazine/articles2q01/exh_barnes_embroidery_0501.html

Links

• Some embroidered items in the National Museum of Denmark - http://www.mv.helsinki.fi/home/sojonen/natmus.html