Step by step of how I draft early 16th century blackwork embroidery, aka
Holbein stitch or double-running stitch, patterns from the portrait of
Jane Seymour (3rd wife of Henry VIII of England) painted by Hans Holbein
the Younger.
Hans Holbein the Younger was a European painter, just like his older
brother Ambrosius and his father, Hans the Elder. If you hear the term
'Holbein stitch', it is in reference to Hans the Younger. From his
friendship with Erasmus, he had a letter of introduction and found
himself in England to eventually become a court painter in the court of
King Henry VIII of England. Compared to other artists at the time,
Holbein painted numerous portraits with blackwork embroidery in them.
Works Cited:
- Holbein d. J., Hans. “Jane Seymour.” Kunst Historisches Museum Wien.
- Holbein d. J., Hans. “Portrait of a Noble Boy with a Marmoset.” KunstMuseum Basel.
No, this isn't related to blackwork embroidery. However, your historical reenactor experiences can still transfer to your modern resume (CV). CV stands for curriculum vitae, which is a document that summarizes a person's academic and professional history.
When listing the SCA on a standard resume or job application, it's best
to translate the experience into transferable skills that are relevant
to the job you're applying for, focusing on aspects like leadership,
project management, crafting, historical research, teamwork, and public
speaking, rather than directly mentioning SCA unless the role has a
clear connection to historical reenactment or related fields.
Focus on a skills-based approach and how experiences are relevant to the
job being applied for. Avoid using SCA terminology and instead
substitute words that do translate, such as using Treasurer instead of
Exchequer.
As an example, being Royal scribe could translate into "meeting weekly
deadlines".
Some suggested SCA Terminology translated for a Modern CV:
- Seneschal = President
- Exchequer = Treasurer
- Chronicler = Secretary
- Herald = Public Speaker
- Autocrat = Event Coordinator
Have you received a Baronial or Kingdom award? That may also be something to include on your resume, to help describe who you are and set your resume apart from the other resumes also being considered for the same job. For example, if you received a service award, you could list it on your resume as: "Regional Service Award for a volunteer non-profit educational organization".
If you wish to specifically name the historical reenactment group that you participate with on your CV, then go for it! In my own experience, that ended up being the thing that sealed the deal for me obtaining a previous job of mine. It was the beginning of July and I had requested time off in August during the job interview. When I was asked why, I mentioned that I had already paid for my pre-registration to attend Pennsic. One of the two ladies interviewing me then asked if that was related to the SCA. Yes, it is. Turns out that her sister had been active for years. This turned into an ice-breaker during the interview, helped to calm my nerves, and we were all excitedly talking after that!
To go with my Holbein stitch cuffs, I am working on blackwork embroidery
for a new linen partlet with another Holbein-inspired pattern. This
pattern is a combination of the cross pattern from Jane Seymour's cuffs
(circa 1536) and the fish pattern from John Godsalve's collar (circa
1528).
Hans Holbein the Younger was a European painter, just like his older
brother Ambrosius and his father, Hans the Elder. If you hear the term
'Holbein stitch', it is in reference to Hans the Younger. From his
friendship with Erasmus, he had a letter of introduction and found
himself in England to eventually become a court painter in the court of
King Henry VIII of England. Compared to other artists at the time,
Holbein painted numerous portraits with blackwork embroidery in them.
The flower pattern is from the 16th century and can be found on both an
English sampler (Jane Bostocke's sampler) as well as an Italian sampler
(located at the the Museo del Tessuto in Prato, Italy). This pattern is
embroidered on white linen with black silk thread.
Hans Holbein the Younger was a German-Swiss artist and Lucas Horenbout
was a Flemish artist. Both artists were employed by King Henry VIII in
the English (Tudor) court in the 1530s until their deaths in the
mid-1540s.
Katherine Willoughby was the sole surviving child of William Willoughby
and Maria de Salinas. When her father died, she became a ward (and later
the 4th wife) of Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk.
When looking up information about Katherine on Wikipedia, I noticed a
discrepancy. There was a miniature portrait of her that was credited to
Hans Holbein the Younger. However, the original miniature is with
Grimsthorpe & Drummond Castle Trust, which states that the portrait
was painted by Lucas Horenbout.
It's difficult to study 16th century blackwork embroidery in Tudor England without also learning about the various people who may have worn it.
For example, when learning about Katherine of Aragon, King Henry VIII's first wife, you also learn about Anne Boleyn, his second wife.
Usually tied with Anne's downfall is the name Jane Boleyn (maiden name Jane Parker). Jane was also tied to Katherine Howard's downfall, who was Henry VIII's fifth wife.
However, when learning more about Jane herself during her lifetime, it seems that she may have been the victim of being a scapegoat as part of a PR (public relations) plot
on behalf of Elizabeth I to rehabilitate her mother's image
Do you think Jane was a scapegoat? Or perhaps jealous? Vindictive? A victim?
Here are some of the embroidery and pattern books in my collection that I
would recommend, especially to someone starting out with historical
embroidery. Some of these books provide more information on the history,
while others provide information on technique and/or provide various
historical patterns.
