A Mystery * Slips Sold To Needleworkers By The Chapman?

A little while ago we posted about two sets of slips which had come up for auction. One of which you can see above. What is particularly interesting about this set is the duplication of slips in the bottom corners. Their appearance generated a deal of interest, and Barbara from the Yorkshire branch of the Embroiderers' Guild sent us a picture of a slip on a patchwork quilt that she is researching.

Today while rereading Vivian Crellin's book on samplers - Tokens of Love - I came across a very interesting paragraph and two illustrations (below) that I had totally forgotten about. The illustrations show collections of slips sewn onto silk. I am afraid the book gives no further details about the whereabouts of these items.

Vivian tells us that in the time of Charles II, haberdashers and travelling chapmen were by now selling emblems and motifs already made up on a plain silken or linen ground. These 'slips' were cut out and applied with stitching to the scene needlewomen were sewing for their stump-work panels and furnishings, elevating the design with a professional skill the ladies might not have accomplished without help.

Unfortunately, Vivian gives no references for us to follow up this information. Many of the panels I have examined show underdrawings which have been embroidered in situ. I have always thought that panels such as Vivian's illustrations were motifs scavenged from worn or damaged panels.

However, it did make me wonder about a panel with a slightly idiosyncratic arrangement of motifs which came up for auction at Christies. Was this an example of pre-stitched motifs being applied to a panel? Or have these been scavenged from an earlier source and recomposed? And then I remembered the slips at Traquair House.

As part of a tour in Scotland one Easter, I was able to pop in to Traquair House. There I saw panels of petit point slips densely laid out - their outlines interlocking. At the time I wondered if they were ever meant to be separated and applied individually as embellishments to furnishings as Margaret Swain tells us they were. And if they were meant to be separated, then why weren't they? Again was this some example of a local estate industry? I would love to have your contributions to this mystery - whether you are adding more issues or providing evidence to solve them.

A Present From Your Mother & Other Embroideries @ Auction

Having spent many years now examining samplers close up, I always suspected that a proportion of them were not stitched by girls but by more mature women. Some samplers by women are clearly identified and this is one of them. I think it is such a lovely present for a child and I hope we are still making them!

This sampler is one of three for auction at Peter Wilson's Gallery Sale on 17 October 2013. It is Lot 44 and has an estimate of £50 - £100. Please note the stepping deer in the cartouches on the sampler to the right - is this another Norfolk School Sampler? Click here for more auction details.

In Germany at the Galerie Bassenge in Berlin-Grunewald is this fabulous embroidered book of the 1630s. It is English and is The Book of Common Prayer (London, Norton & Bill, 1629) stitched back to back with The Whole Book of Psalms (London, Companion of Stationers, 1630) and The New Testament ( Cambridge, by the Printers to the University, 1628) It measures just 11cm (approx. 4.5") x 5.5 cm (approx. 2").

It is stitched in coloured thread with gold and silver work. One side is worked in cross stitch, the other in satin stitch. It is Lot 1180 for auction beginning 16 October 2013 and has an estimate of €8,500. For more details of this action, click here.

Lot 198 for sale at Dreweatts of Donnington on 23 October 2013 is a George III embroidered Map of the World, dated 1803, and signed: Worked by Catharine Martin. It is in a later frame and measures 47.5cm x 79cm (approximately 19" x 40"). For more details, click here.

One of the several samplers in Tennant's of Leyburn Auction on 19 October 2013 is Lot 1269, a depiction of the West Front of York Minster with an estimate of £100 - £150. I thought some of you might be reminded of visits there. This 19th century sampler of York Minster worked in red cross stitch was worked by Milisent Roberts aged 18. It is in a modern frame and measures 63cm by 61cm (approximately 25" square). My reason for finding this an interesting sampler - its subject matter apart - is because of the stylized depiction of the pinnacles. These resemble very much the ones seen on sampler depictions of Solomon's Temples where there has been much debate whether these feathered roof embellishments were signifying lightening conductors. Perhaps this was a standardized design for pinnacles... mmm? For more details of this auction, click here.

Are Museum Collections Safe?

I am very alarmed to read the following in a Museums Association bulletin today.

Museums Journal has learned that 89 objects are unaccounted for in Croydon Council’s Riesco collection of antique Chinese ceramics, which is currently at the centre of a disposal controversy.

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request submitted by the Croydon Natural History and Scientific Society has shown that of the 650 items acquired by the council from local businessman Raymond Riesco, only 230 pieces remain in the council’s ownership.

According to council records, out of the original collection, 180 pieces were sold in 1970, 112 were sold in 1984 and 39 were stolen at an unspecified date.

This leaves 89 items apparently missing with no record as to their whereabouts.

Regarding the 39 stolen items, it is unclear when the theft was detected or what steps were taken to recover the objects.

According to the FOI response, the council has been unable to find any records detailing the theft, despite extensive searches, and it cannot speculate as to what happened as any employees named in records from the time no longer work for the council.

Paul Sowan, company secretary of the Croydon Natural History and Scientific Society, said: “To say they’ve got no records of any of these items is utterly scandalous and unbelievable.

“They seem to be telling us that council records exist only in the minds of staff. It’s entirely unsatisfactory.”

A council spokeswoman told Museums Journal: "Unfortunately, despite considerable research by officers, some historical records are missing and because they pre-date the knowledge and employment of the present team we are unable to provide the details being requested."

24 of the remaining 230 items are due to be auctioned by Christie’s in Hong Kong next month. The council hopes the sale will raise an estimated £13m for the refurbishment of its Fairfield Halls cultural centre. The objects are currently on a tour of Asia and the US.

Croydon Council last month resigned from the Museums Association (MA) after the MA's ethics committee ruled that the impending auction was in breach of the association's code of ethics.

20% Discount On The Feller Needlework Collection @ Ruth Kern Books Until End October 2013

Great news if you are in the USA, Ruth Kern is offering a 20% discount on The Micheal and Elizabeth Feller Collection Volumes I & II if you order before the end of this month. Ruth is a major seller of needlework books in the USA and has now started a blog. Her first topic is nearest and dearest to my heart - my other, very necessary half, Richard Holdsworth FRPS. Click here to see Ruth's special offer.