Embroidery — 909-1171

Fragment from a plain woven, undyed linen textile, possibly a cushion or cover, decorated with split and stem stitch embroidery in green, red and dark brown silk. The silk embroidery thread is couched by itself. The embroidered design consists of a repeated pattern of pairs of confronted red birds, outlined in brown, either side of stylisted tree motifs that form an arcade. There are a number of holes around the embroidery, suggesting that the design was initially traced onto the ground fabric via prick and pounce method before being drawn in black ink. The black under-drawing can be seen in several areas where the embroidery is no longer present. Thread count: 18/19 (S/S spun)