A
member of the Society for Creative Anachronism, Gregor Burcardus, once
described blackwork embroidery as “a stark beauty of black running along an
edge or overwhelming a field of white”.
“Blackwork…has sometimes been called ‘Spanish work’. And the conception of blackwork is often
erroneously attributed to that celebrated sixteenth century Spanish lady,
Catherine of Aragon.” (Gostelow 9) The
technique of blackwork embroidery became extremely popular in England when it
was displayed by King Henry VIII’s first wife, Catherine of Aragon.
In 1501, Catherine had
brought this technique with her to England from her native country, Spain. In Spain, Catherine was born to the new
Spanish monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand.
Before their reign, the Moors had ruled much of the Spanish
territory. Even after being evicted from
Spain, many of the Moorish geometrical designs had been left behind. Having grown up learning the geometric
embroidery, she continued her embroidery when she was sent to England to marry
Henry VIII’s older brother, Arthur.
After Arthur’s death, Catherine then married Henry in 1509. “The theory that the vogue came into England
with Catherine of Aragon is no longer tenable, for references to such black
embroidery occur at a much earlier date, in the late 15th century…”
(Kendrick 53) In the Canterbury Tales,
Geoffrey Chaucer commented on the clothing of the miller’s wife, Alison. “Of white, too, was the dainty smock she
wore, Embroidered at the collar all about With coal-black silk, alike within
and out.” (Chaucer 105)
“…it
is the embroidery in black silk on white linen which became fashionable during
the reign of Henry VIII…and dying out some time between 1600 and 1630.” (Geddes
and McNeill 13) When Catherine of Aragon
brought this fashionable embroidery technique to England, it was referred to as
“Spanysshe work”. It was dubbed this
name, though it had shown origins with Moorish design elements. After King Henry VIII divorced Catherine in 1533, the
embroidery was re-named ‘blackwork’. By
the time King Henry VIII’s second daughter, Elizabeth I, came into reign,
blackwork embroidery was popular among both nobility and monarchs.
Shirts were the
most common to have blackwork as decoration, especially on the cuffs and around
the neck. “As blackwork embroidery
patterns resemble lace (which was difficult to obtain in Tudor days, because of
a tax on lace) collars and cuffs of blackwork embroidery soon appeared on the
courtiers’ clothing.” (Drysdale 10)
There are many portraits from the Elizabethan time era of nobility
wearing blackwork on the sleeves and cuffs of their shirts and chemises. By 1530, a man’s shirt had a high neck, which
had resulted in the origin of the ruff.
Blackwork was used to decorate this ruff. (Cunnington 17) In the National Portrait Gallery, there is a
portrait of Henry VIII wearing a shirt embroidered with acorns in gold and
leaves in black. “Apart from ruffs,
blackwork was highly fashionable on falling-bands, hand-ruffs, handkerchiefs,
night-caps, and night-shirts.” (Geddes and McNeill 34)
Blackwork
embroidery was also popular in other countries besides England, such as
France. “Louis XI and Charles VIII of
France were both very interested in embroidery and summoned Italian embroiderers
to court, so early French work was much influenced by Italy.” (Snook 13) Blackwork had already made its appearance in
French and German portraits at the beginning of the sixteenth century, proving
that it was already a general European fashion.
“Blackwork, if it was used in Scotland, has not survived except in
portraits, such as that of Agnes Keith and her husband, the Regent Moray,
painted by Hans Eworth, 1561.” (Swain
11) Found among the garments left by
Mary Queen of Scots were four English chemises with blackwork designs.
In other
historical findings, the blackwork design “…occurs on a fragment from a burial
ground in Egypt of the late medieval period, and is depicted by Holbein the
elder in his paintings…” (Swain 121)
Spain and Italy set the way by using Islamic design, as well as
absorbing design ideas from Egypt.
“Types of counted-thread embroidery in black on white are found in many
countries, especially the Slavonic countries of Eastern Europe: Russia, Roumania, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria,
and Yugoslavia, where it has been a peasant industry for centuries.” (Geddes and McNeill 14)
Blackwork
could have been found on almost any type of fabric: silk, linen, satin, velvet, and netting. Wool may have been used for threading, but
black silk was definitely the most favored.
Once in a while, gold and silver threads may have been used to
demonstrate visual drama. Other colors
of thread were used too, but black silk on a white background was the most
popular. “Fine black silk embroidery on
white linen…Intricate geometrical designs worked in double running…” (Swain
119) In addition, pearls and beads may
have been used sporadically. “It has also
been suggested that the lavish use of black thread embroidery was occasioned
by the influence of the newly-established printing presses. Many of the embroidery designs were close
copies of those which were inspired by engravings and woodcuts.” (Jones 32)
The
technique used to create blackwork is quite simple. Known as ‘back stitch’ or ‘festoon stitch’,
lines of joined links of chains form together to create an endless picture.
(Gostelow 87) By counting the threads,
the double-running stitch is a series of two ‘journeys’. On the first journey, the pattern is to work
every other stitch. Then on the return
journey, fill in the blank spots to create one continuous line. “In blackwork, the spaces are filled with
delicately etched geometrical lines.”
(Swain 11) This double running
stitch has also sometimes been referred to as ‘Holbein stitch’.
There
are many different designs used with the blackwork technique. During Elizabeth I’s reign, many floral
designs had been used. William
Shakespeare even described some of these decorations in his works. In Pericles, Act V, Sc. I, I.5
Shakespeare wrote:
…with
her neeld composes
Nature’s
own shape of bud, bird, branch, or berry,
That
even her art sisters the natural roses;
Her
inkle, silk, twin wit the rubied cherry:
That
pupils lacks she none of noble race
Who
pour their bounty on her…
(Kendrick
93)
Works
Cited
Ashelford,
Jane. The Art of Dress: Clothes and Society 1500-1914. New York:
Harry N. Abrams, Inc. 1996.
Chaucer,
Geoffrey. The Canterbury Tales. Ed. John Halverson. New York:
Bobbs-Merrill. 1971.
Cunnington,
C.W. and P. Handbook of English
Costume in the 16th Century.
London: Faber and Faber
Limited. 1962.
Drysdale,
Rosemary. The Art of Blackwork
Embroidery. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons. 1975
Geddes,
Elisabeth, and Moyra McNeill. Blackwork
Embroidery. Boston: Charles T. Branford. 1965.
Gostelow,
Mary. Blackwork. New York:
Van Nostrand. 1976.
Jones,
Mary Eirwen. A History of Western
Embroidery. New York: Watson-Guptill Publications. 1969.
Kendrick,
A.F. English Needle-Work. Ed. Patricia Wardle. London:
Adam and Charles Black.
1967.
Scheuer,
Nikki. Designs for Holbein Embroidery. New York:
Doubleday. 1976.
Snook,
Barbara. The Creative Art of
Embroidery. London: Hamlyn Publishing. 1972.
Swain,
Margaret H. Historical
Needlework: A Study of Influences in
Scotland and Northern England. New
York: Charles Scribner’s Sons. 1970.
Swain,
Margaret. The Needlework of Mary
Queen of Scots. New York: Von Nostrand.
1973.
