16th Century Blackwork Embroidery (Holbein Stitch) Pattern from Noble Boy with a Marmoset

Watch step by step as I embroider the ocean wave pattern found on the 16th century collar of the Noble Boy with a Marmoset, painted by Hans Holbein the Younger.

 

Holbein stitch, also referred to as double-running stitch or Spanish stitch, is a reversible counted stitch used in early 16th century blackwork embroidery. 

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. 

 

                Picture Credit: 

- Holbein d. J., Hans. “Jane Seymour.” Kunst Historisches Museum Wien. 

- Holbein d. J., Hans. “Portrait of a Noble Boy with a Marmoset.” KunstMuseum Basel.

 

 

Blackwork Embroidery in Hans Eworth's Portraits

Hans Eworth was a Flemish painter, along with goldsmith and jeweler, who painted many portraits of the gentry and nobility in Tudor England. He was born about 1520 and died in 1574. He trained in Antwerp. In 1540, he became a master freeman in the Guild of St Luke in Antwerp. By 1545, he was in London, England. (National Gallery of Canada) He was influenced by the work of Hans Holbein the Younger, who had been a court painter to Henry VIII. "Eworth’s experimentation with pose and scale are attributed to the variation in pose found in Holbein’s works. The poses, range from miniatures to life-size portraits and from bust-length to full-length." (National Gallery of Canada)

Depending on which website you read, about 26 portraits up to 40 portraits are attributed to Eworth. According to Hope Walker, there may be upwards of 56 portraits attributed to him. He was the principal court portrait painter during the reign of Mary I, from 1553 to 1558. During this time, most of his commissions were from Catholic patrons. Therefore, during the reign of Elizabeth I (a Protestant), he fell out of favor with the court because of the previous association. From 1572 until his death in 1574, he was employed by the Office of Revels to design costumes and decor for Elizabeth I's receptions and pageants. (National Galleries Scotland)

In no particular order, here are the few portraits that I have found so far of Eworth's that have blackwork embroidery in them.

Anthony Browne, 1st Viscount Montagu (National Portrait Gallery)

Mary Neville, Lady Dacre (National Gallery of Canada)

James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray (Wikipedia)

James Stewart was the illegitimate half-brother to Mary, Queen of Scots.

 

 

The blackwork embroidery pattern from Stewart's collar is one that I found years ago (in the days of Geocities) while doing research. (Partlet with Embroidery on the Collar)

Simple Cross Blackwork Embroidery Pattern from Holbein's Portrait of Jane Seymour

This cross pattern can be found near the edge of Jane Seymour's cuffs with blackwork embroidery, also known as Holbein Stitch, from Hans Holbein the Younger's painting from 1536. 

 

This particular embroidery will become part of a larger embroidery project that includes 3 different patterns from 3 of Holbein's paintings. 

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. 

 

              Suggested Items for Purchase: 

- Beeswax: https://amzn.to/2NHAmTF 

- Embroidery Scissors: https://amzn.to/3rKAs0W 

- Linen Fabric: https://amzn.to/3m1bsuJ 

- Embroidery Needles: https://amzn.to/45AMjMG 

 

           Works Cited: 

- “Hans Holbein the Younger.” Uffizi Gallery. 

- Holbein d. J., Hans. “Jane Seymour.” Kunst Historisches Museum Wien. 

- Holbein d. J., Hans. “Portrait of a Noble Boy with a Marmoset.” KunstMuseum Basel. 

- Holbein the Younger, Hans. “Darmstadt Madonna.” 

 

 

Holbein Stitch Embroidery Sampler with 16th Century Italian Patterns

The embroidery patterns on this Holbein Stitch sampler are my interpretations of patterns found on a 16th Century Italian embroidery sampler located at the V&A Museum (Victoria & Albert Museum) in London. 

 

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. 

 

 

Above is a video to show off my sampler, as well as show where I found some the patterns on the original Italian sampler.

 

Historically Accurate Linen and from Which Vendor?

A few months ago, I went down a rabbit hole to figure out the weight and weave of 16th century linen. From there, I was curious, if I wanted historically accurate linen, where could I go to buy it?

Here is the display board that I created:

In addition to the display board, I put together 2 different videos on my YouTube channel: (1) Discussing Linen vs. Ramie and (2) Discussing which vendor potentially sold historically accurate linen.

Check out these videos: