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This extraordinary piece of seventeenth century needlework
was originally executed with fine silks on a linen ground,
in tent stitch, and is composed of many different 'slips" or
spot motifs, cleverly fitted together. Many of these motifs
have symbolic and/or heraldic significance, and they can be
traced directly from the drawings in Peter Stent's pattern
books, published in England in the mid seventeenth century.
Almost identical to drawings in Stent are the various
creepy-crawlies (snails, caterpillars, wasps, moths), the
speckled Lillies of the Mountaine, the columbine, the ape (a
symbol of mischief as well as the sense of taste), A Tulipa,
and more. While much of the maker's inspiration was likely
gleaned from Stent, other contemporary sources certainly
inspired this wonderful, cleverly composed and well-balanced
needlework picture. Like the original, it is executed
entirely in tent stitch (petit point), in a palette of 34
colors, and the reproduction measures almost exactly the
same size as the original.
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