N.º 31 2019 pp. 177-190

Note
A stumpwork mirror in the collection of the Medeiros e Almeida House-Museum - descriptive and iconographical analyses

Maria de Lima Mayer

Casa-Museu da Fundação Medeiros e Almeida, Rua Rosa Araújo, 41, 1250-194 Lisboa, Portugal

maria.mayer@casa-museumedeirosealmeida.pt

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to analyze a work of art belonging to the collection of textiles of the Medeiros e Almeida House-Museum collection. It is a wall mirror of English production, with an embroidery frame, made in the third quarter of the 17th century, whose decoration includes a depiction of King Charles II and Queen Catherine of Braganza. The originality of this piece consists in the type of needlework, called stumpwork, that it is the result of the combination of both direct and applied embroidery on pads, creating a relief effect. Produced with a wide variety of techniques and materials, the stumpwork was produced during the 17th century. In order to understand and contextualize the work of art, aspects such as the period and the reasons that gave birth to this curious kind of work, the techniques and materials used, the themes addressed and the respective iconographic sources were approached.

Keywords

Mirror
Embroidery
17th Century
Charles II
Catherine of Braganza

Language

Portuguese

Original title

Um espelho stumpwork na coleção da Casa-Museu Medeiros e Almeida - análise descritiva e iconográfica

DOI

10.14568/cp2018028

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Citation

History

Received: 2018-6-21
Revised: 2018-11-26
Accepted: 2018-12-14
Online: 2019-3-6
Publication: 2019-4-30

References

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Stable url: https://doi.org/10.14568/cp2018028