Panel
Object name
Date made
Late 20th century
Place made
Description
A vintage cross stitch kit replicating one of the Mary, Queen of Scots' embroidery panels. This particular scene depicts a lion, above which is inscribed with royal insignia and Mary's monogram, the overlapping letters M, A, and the Greek letter Φ (Phi).
Content description
This square panel is a late 20th-century replica of one of the embroideries by Mary, Queen of Scots, stitched during her imprisonment by her cousin Queen Elizabeth I. Mary embroidered them between 1569 and 1585 with the help of women in her household and Bess of Hardwick, the wife of George Talbot, Sixth Earl of Shrewsbury. Shrewsbury was the keeper of Mary during this period.
The creatures Mary, Bess, and their companions depicted range from British domestic and wild animals to fantastical and exotic animals. This particular panel presents a 'LYONE', a symbol of courage, strength, and royalty and a reference to qualities Mary would have possessed. It is known that Mary's father James V kept a lion in his royal menagerie. Here the lion is depicted indoors walking on a checkerboard floor. The design was taken from Historiae Animalium by the Swiss zoologist and botanist Conrad Gessner, published in 1551-1558. Above the lion are a crown and Mary's monogram, the overlapping letters M, A, and the Greek letter Φ (Phi).
This vintage kit was probably produced in Scotland for practising tent stitch, cross stitch, and French knots like those in the lion's mane on Penelope canvas. The lion's tail is made of straight stitches. In the original embroidery only tent stitch and cross stitch were employed.
The original embroidery belongs to the Marian Hanging, held in the Victoria and Albert Museum collection (T.29-1955).
The creatures Mary, Bess, and their companions depicted range from British domestic and wild animals to fantastical and exotic animals. This particular panel presents a 'LYONE', a symbol of courage, strength, and royalty and a reference to qualities Mary would have possessed. It is known that Mary's father James V kept a lion in his royal menagerie. Here the lion is depicted indoors walking on a checkerboard floor. The design was taken from Historiae Animalium by the Swiss zoologist and botanist Conrad Gessner, published in 1551-1558. Above the lion are a crown and Mary's monogram, the overlapping letters M, A, and the Greek letter Φ (Phi).
This vintage kit was probably produced in Scotland for practising tent stitch, cross stitch, and French knots like those in the lion's mane on Penelope canvas. The lion's tail is made of straight stitches. In the original embroidery only tent stitch and cross stitch were employed.
The original embroidery belongs to the Marian Hanging, held in the Victoria and Albert Museum collection (T.29-1955).
Dimensions
width: 40.5cm
height: 40.5cm
height: 40.5cm
Materials
Stitches
Techniques
Motifs
Catalogue number
RSN.2785
© Royal School of Needlework