The Scarlet Letter | Spot Motif Embroidered Picture circa 1640

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.

Instructions are provided for stitching this over one or two threads of linen on linens of 25, 30/32, 35, and 40 count.