The column in the 'Kiss of Judas' looks like this one although I have taken some small liberties with it. Row of Acanthus Leaves Jacques Androuet du Cerceau, 16th Century This is from a Carved Stone at Ghazna from the 14th Century, Persia 18th Century Italian alter cloth embroidered with gold threads and sequins on silk ground Click on the picture for a larger view Click on the picture for a larger view Click on the picture for a larger view
History of Decorated Fabric continued
After studying the history of the medieval countries of the Mediterranean Sea I returned to my
research of the colonial North American motifs. Queen Elizabeth (1553-1603) established a successsful
North American colony, so I began again in Elizabethan England.
I saw that the Dutch and English samplers during the eighteenth century were so similar
I could not tell often times which country had produced them. So I had several avenues
to look down in my quest for the source of the North American design motifs.
I read that in medieval England and Europe the most famous embroideries were called
‘Opus Anglicanum.' This was the embroidery of England and possibly France, and it was
often seen on the copes and mitres used in the Catholic masses.
In an Opus Anglicanum embroidery ‘The Kiss of Judas' c. 1320, the British Museum,
there is a architectural column on the left side of that embroidery that has a border
of palmated Acanthus leaves around it and Roma under a bead. After seeing this I realized
the Catholic priests carried these Oriental patterns into England.
It is not common knowledge that priests from the Middle East fled to Ireland
as the Germanic armies invaded Rome. These Oriental priests brought their
books and stories, and the Irish priest copied them. They saved much of what would have
been lost during the Dark Ages from 500 to 1000 A.D.
That should have ended the search for me, except these European samplers started
appearing at the end of the sixteenth century that did not look anything like religious
designs. The Acanthus motif began appearing in European pattern books in the sixteenth
century such as A Schole-House for the Needle.
A medieval French artist, Jacques Androuet du Cerceau drew patterns of Acanthus leaves
that are so similar to the ones found in ancient Persia you could believe they were
copies taken from the original masonry. As can be seen in the photos below.
And another event in English history added to the movement of these motifs from one country to another. The English throne was filled by Dutch William of Orange. the Prince of Orang landed in the West of England on the 5th of November 1688, and on the 11th April 1689 was crowned King of England, and in the year 1692 the French came to invade England, and a fleet of ships sent by King William, drove them from the English seas, and took, sunk, and burned twenty-one of their ships. Martha Wright, 26 March, 1693 her sampler William's Mary loved needlework and worked constantly on it.It is not surprising then that the Dutch motifs appeared in English embroidered samplers at this time. After the reign of the Puritans, the lighter more subdued Dutch motifs were likely viewed as being 'politically correct' since even the Queen herself was using them. But even more significant the Puritans left a legacy or belief that women should be educated since idleness led to no good thing. So an opportunity was granted to women to teach women embroidery and the alphabet, and this is the first recorded idea or thoughts on universal education that I have found. By teaching embroidery these motifs and the alphabet would be shared by the teacher with her students and no doubt the students would share them with others. And again we can see these motifs moving away from their source in an ever widening circle. Next Chapter ©2000-2005, Linda Fontenot, you may not copy this article in any form, permission must be granted by the author to make any form of copies of this article. www.OvertheMoonDesigns.com