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Musical Party in a Garden

1647
Not on view
While there is a long tradition of exceptional professional embroidery in England, domestic needlework attained a high point in the seventeenth century, when it was a requisite skill of accomplished young women. In addition to clothing and accessories, mirror frames, writing boxes, table covers, and pictures were decorated with embroidery. Prints served as sources for figures, flowers, and animals, which were drawn onto the fabric and given to the embroideresses. Frequently depicted themes include Old Testament stories, political subjects, allegories, and scenes of daily life. Musical Garden Party presents activities at a country house. In a formal garden, ladies perform for an appreciative male audience. By using fine-gauge canvas and silk threads, the embroideress was able to capture many fashion details such as feathered hats, lace trimming, and the floral pattern of a gown. Facial features, however, are left unembroidered. The hovering putto with bow and arrow hints at impending romance.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Musical Party in a Garden
  • Date: 1647
  • Culture: British
  • Medium: Canvas worked with silk thread; tent stitch
  • Dimensions: Overall: 13 3/4 x 21 1/4 in. (34.9 x 54 cm)
  • Classification: Textiles-Embroidered
  • Credit Line: Gift of Irwin Untermyer, 1964
  • Object Number: 64.101.1314
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

More Artwork

More Artwork
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Seasons and Elements (Summer) (set of four), Charles Le Brun French, Canvas; silk, wool, and metal-thread embroidery in tent stitch (316 stitches per sq. inch, 49 per sq. cm.), French, Paris
Seasons and Elements (Summer) (set of four)
Multiple artists/makers
ca. 1683
Seasons and Elements (Fire) (set of four), Charles Le Brun French, Canvas; silk, wool, and metal-thread embroidery in tent stitch (316 stitches per sq. inch, 49 per sq. cm.), French, Paris
Seasons and Elements (Fire) (set of four)
Multiple artists/makers
ca. 1683
Seasons and Elements (Spring) (set of four), Charles Le Brun French, Canvas; silk, wool, and metal-thread embroidery in tent stitch (316 stitches per sq. inch, 49 per sq. cm.), French, Paris
Seasons and Elements (Spring) (set of four)
Multiple artists/makers
ca. 1683
Seasons and Elements (Air) (set of four), Charles Le Brun French, Canvas; silk, wool, and metal-thread embroidery in tent stitch (316 stitches per sq. inch, 49 stitches per sq. cm.), French, Paris
Seasons and Elements (Air) (set of four)
Multiple artists/makers
ca. 1683
Settee (one of a pair), John Mayhew British, Gilded fruitwood; wool and silk (22-24 warps per inch, 9-10 per centimeter), British and French
Settee (one of a pair)
Multiple artists/makers
1769–71

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Musical Party in a Garden - British - The Metropolitan Museum of Art