Black Ink on a Coif that Faded to Blue?

This coif is labelled as a "panel" at the V&A Museum. This particular coif is dated to circa 1600-1630. However, this size and shape of coif was also worn in late 16th century England during the Elizabethan period. The museum describes this coif as "linen with pattern of flowers, birds, insects and animals drawn in blue ink".

 

 

 

 "This coif was once worked in blackwork, a style of needlework popular in England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. It was worked with a single colour of silk, usually black, but also blue, green or red, on linen. Now only a few tiny shreds of the black silk embroidery thread remain. The use of iron in the dyeing process (to fix and enhance the black) and exposure to light have caused the threads to disintegrate.

The loss of thread has exposed the original embroidery design, hand-drawn in blue ink. The pattern consists of a variety of single motifs of flowers, birds and insects, very similar to those reproduced in embroidery pattern books of the early 17th century. These motifs were transferred to the linen by pricking the outline of the design on paper, pouncing (dusting with fine dark powder), then joining the dots left on the linen with a fine brush and ink." (V&A Museum)

 

If the coif was originally worked in all black thread, then it's possible to think that the ink was also originally black - but faded to blue over time, just as the black thread disintegrated over time.