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Thursday, September 12, 2013

A Tale of Two Coifs

Today I'm back at the Burrell Collection in Glasgow.

I wasn't lying when I said they house an amazing needlework collection.  

Though there were many coifs on display as part of the Gilt and Silk exhibition, I chose two of my favorites to share here today.

The first piece is linen with silk and silver-gilt threads circa 1610-1620 and is part of a coif.  



A coif was a woman's close-fitting cap usually worn at home or under a hat when out in public.

This design incorporated four red carnations.


 The Greek word for carnation is dianthus which means "heavenly flower"...



I thought I had captured all four flowers but I'm missing one.  

Here's a good close-up of two different types of leaves.  I'm particularly fond of the vein in the bottom leaf...


This second coif took my breath away when I first saw it.
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I've always loved silver and gold together and this piece is exquisite...



It still holds much of its lustre and allure even though it was made over 400 years ago...



The size is approx. 25cm x 45cm.

Another element of its appeal is the number of goldwork stitches used throughout.  I love these two strawberry motfis...


And it looks like another "heavenly flower" is on this coif as well...


The design also included pea pods. 



The visibility of the seeds was suggestive of courtship and fertility.


Perhaps, if you've been lucky enough to have been a student of Tricia Wilson Nguyen's Goldwork Master Class, you may recognize some of the stitches?

I do have pictures of some other coifs from the exhibit.  I'll let you know when I get them loaded up on my Flickr account.

Have a brilliant day everyone.

15 comments:

  1. These are breathtaking!! I'm with you I love the silver and gold together. Beautiful!

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  2. Anonymous2:00 PM

    Thank you for these excellent close-up photos. The stitching variety is most inspiring.

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  3. Wow so beautiful ..
    Thank you for sharing x

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  4. Wow, the stitchery involved is so detailed and amazing. I really love the gold and silver worked piece.

    Thank you for sharing.

    FlowerLady

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  5. Awesome close-ups!
    I love seeing new stitches and combos I haven't seen before. Stimulates my "embroiderer's mind" so wonderfully.

    Thank you!

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  6. The details are amazing!

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  7. Yes, I recognise some, but not all - there are more stitches out there for someone to work out!

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  8. These are gorgeous! Thank you for sharing them with us.

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  9. Stunning Stunning work. Oh to have been a fly on the wall watching these pieces being worked.Great post Susan.

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  10. Lovely! What an awesome way to cover up a bad hair day! You got to see some fabulous eye candy and thanks for sharing it!

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  11. Amazing that anything this exquisitely delicate has withstood over 400 years of existence. Truly beautiful stitching and threadwork. Thank you Susan for expanding my horizons...

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  12. Beautiful photos. I was unaware of this collection, which I will rectify on my next visit to Glasgow.

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  13. Magnificent photos of magnificent pieces. Did you happen to catch the accession numbers for the two coifs?

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  14. Anonymous12:42 PM

    Thank you so much for these wonderful pictures. As you say, they are so many different type of goldwork stitches. Even on the first coif, they are some bits I have no ideas how they are made.

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Have a wonder-filled life!