EMBROIDERY. English School, circa 1690 in possibly later frame, although the glass is not recent. Most unusual secular embroidery in silk and metal thread with rare colonial theme. Embroidery size 19.75cm x 21cm, the overall frame 26.5cm x 27.5cm. The work shows a woman wearing a smocked dress coat and feathered hat being sheltered from the sun by a parasol held by what appears to be a brown skinned native American. The attendant is dressed in flowing robes and wears a feathered headdress. The figures are surrounded by birds and a large butterfly, the whole scene backed on to worn blue silk. The needlework is fine and includes the use of metal thread, utilising a number of different techniques/stitches.The context for this work is fascinating. Aphra Behn [1640–1689, now recognised as the first English woman to earn a living by her writing], wrote “The Indian Queen” a tragi-comic play set in the British colony of Virginia and first performed in 1689 after her death. The theme of the play is of a fictionalized rebellion. It can be viewed as a semi-autobiographical piece, as Behn had spent time in Surinam in South America, providing material for her novella Oroonoko, which drew on her experiences in the colony.“The Indian Queen” explores themes of colonial power, cultural differences, and the relationships between colonizers and the colonized. A mezzotint engraving by William Vincent after a painting by John Smith, held in the National Portrait Gallery, shows the actor Anne Bracegirdle as 'The Indian Queen" Semernia in the play 'The Widow Ranther” or the History of Bacon in Virginia' by Aphra Behn which has similar themes to Oroonoko. Our embroidery has a similar subject matter. The female character in the embroidery might be holding a crudely realised version of the dress folds held in the mezzotint. Is it possible that the embroidery design was based on the print? Areas of loss to the silk stitches on the clothing and headdress of the attendant reveals the under drawing. Designs could be obtained from design books and purchased as pre-drawn patterns which were often developed by individual embroiderers. The designs were initially transferred to the background silk to serve as a guide for the embroiderer, as seen here.
This would have been a highly fashionable embroidery, the creator displaying her knowledge of other cultures and possibly Behn’s works to her audience. The work displays a European stereotype of other cultures, either consciously or unconsciously, including presenting the person of colour as an attendant, in an inferior role to the woman shaded by the parasol. These stereotypes influenced future colonial activity, which Behn had critically explored in her works.
The embroidery is in Very Good condition. There is minor loss to the stitching in places, and the blue silk background has suffered somewhat but colours are still fairly strong, and the piece seems stable in the frame. A really interesting piece, in a design that we have not seen before.
