Panel
Object name
Maker
Date made
Circa 1920s-1930s
Place made
Description
Part worked panel depicting a variety of human figures and mythical beasts, all in a chinoiserie style. Designed and stitched in approximately the 1920s or 1930s at the Royal School of Needlework.
Content description
Part worked canvaswork embroidery showing chinoiserie-style figures and animals, made at the Royal School of Needlework in approximately the 1920s or 1930s. At the bottom is a label which reads, '"CHINESE CHIPPENDALE" IN PROGRESS. SPECIMEN OF ECCLESIASTICAL EMBROIDERY. (part of an Orphrey - 1550)'. The panel, made of linen canvas with wool threads, was likely used as didactic material, as it shows the finer canvas used to embroider faces and hands and includes loose threads.
The panel shows six human figures, including a man playing the tail of a snake as if it were a trumpet, a jester, a man on the back of a dragon with a weapon in hand, a stone carver, a musician with drums, and a performer. There are also flowers, tree branches, a wyvern, and a quadrupedal beast, possibly a qilin or a stylised tiger. The man and snake have been half filled in with tent stitches, as have the bird above him and the bird to the right. The rest of the piece, with the exception of one or two stitches on a flower near the panel's top, remains unworked. There is a finer piece of linen stitched atop the hands and face of the carver, preparation for the figure's hands and face being stitched with tinier tent stitches than used for other parts of the composition.
The design shows the influence of eighteenth-century chinoiserie, with exoticised figures, flora, and fauna. The man riding a dragon appears on seven design cards and one tracing paper design in the RSN Archive, indicating that it was a particularly popular design. It was used for stool tops and fire screens. One note also suggests that it was inspired by the Chippendale period of furniture, which explains the term 'Chinese Chippendale' in the panel's label. The design specifically depicts a man wearing a hat and cloak while riding a dragon, hunting what appears to be a winged lion, along the top of the design there is also a bird in flight. The background is made of vines showing stylised flowers, leaves, and fruits. There are slight variations to the designs, but largely the colours and content remain the same.
It is unknown what 1550 orphrey is being referred to here, as no source has ever been found. The style of the panel's figures and other elements are not typical of 16th-century ecclesiastical embroidery.
The panel shows six human figures, including a man playing the tail of a snake as if it were a trumpet, a jester, a man on the back of a dragon with a weapon in hand, a stone carver, a musician with drums, and a performer. There are also flowers, tree branches, a wyvern, and a quadrupedal beast, possibly a qilin or a stylised tiger. The man and snake have been half filled in with tent stitches, as have the bird above him and the bird to the right. The rest of the piece, with the exception of one or two stitches on a flower near the panel's top, remains unworked. There is a finer piece of linen stitched atop the hands and face of the carver, preparation for the figure's hands and face being stitched with tinier tent stitches than used for other parts of the composition.
The design shows the influence of eighteenth-century chinoiserie, with exoticised figures, flora, and fauna. The man riding a dragon appears on seven design cards and one tracing paper design in the RSN Archive, indicating that it was a particularly popular design. It was used for stool tops and fire screens. One note also suggests that it was inspired by the Chippendale period of furniture, which explains the term 'Chinese Chippendale' in the panel's label. The design specifically depicts a man wearing a hat and cloak while riding a dragon, hunting what appears to be a winged lion, along the top of the design there is also a bird in flight. The background is made of vines showing stylised flowers, leaves, and fruits. There are slight variations to the designs, but largely the colours and content remain the same.
It is unknown what 1550 orphrey is being referred to here, as no source has ever been found. The style of the panel's figures and other elements are not typical of 16th-century ecclesiastical embroidery.
Dimensions
width: 146.5cm
height: 88cm
height: 88cm
Materials
Stitches
Techniques
Motifs
Catalogue number
RSN.658
© Royal School of Needlework