Object Description
A fine and highly decorative 17th century stumpwork picture worked in coloured silks, metal threads, beads and metal sequins on a silk ground. The embroidery is executed in a variety of stitches and incorporates areas of raised work, creating a richly textured and visually engaging composition. The palette is predominantly blue, cream, dark brown, green and gold.
The central pictorial panel depicts the biblical story of The Binding of Isaac (Genesis 22), in which God commands Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice. Abraham and Isaac are shown before an altar, while the surrounding landscape is populated with a wealth of symbolic and decorative motifs, including angels (one carries a star behind him, which is hidden under a fold up flap), trees, a peacock, a castle, a ram, a turkey, a seated figure drinking, a man with a donkey and other animals and figures associated with the narrative setting.
Encircling the scene is an exceptionally intricate floral border, densely worked with fruits, flowers, leaves and scrolling stems. The border is enlivened with a remarkable variety of creatures, including butterflies, beetles, caterpillars, bees, birds, snails and a snake. The four corners feature prominent animal motifs comprising a lion, unicorn, stag and dog, all characteristic elements of high-quality seventeenth-century stumpwork embroidery.
The picture displays the imaginative combination of biblical subject matter, natural history and fanciful ornament that makes early stumpwork embroidery so appealing to collectors. The extensive use of raised work, metal thread embellishment, beads and sequins further enhances its richness and depth.
The embroidery is housed in an old maple-veneered wooden frame with rippled antique glass. The textile is stretched over a wooden support frame and secured with tacks, and is protected to the reverse with acid-free backing board.. Dimensions exclude the frame and slip.