Chelliga is the name for an embroidery sampler from Morocco from the 18th century onwards. They can include a wide variety of colors, stitches, and design.
Here are a few embroidery patterns from the chelliga at the Cleveland Museum of Art. The double-running stitches appear to have been on every 4th hole in the fabric. "Young women from all social classes would learn these skills from a master craftswoman (mu'allima), who taught within her home."
If you look closely, you can find some minor mistakes, such as the incorrect number of holes counted for a stitch which then threw off the other stitches in a small section of the pattern. For example, in the picture above, look at the black thread to see that that section of the design is not centered like the rest of the pattern.
The chelliga was regarded as a certificate or diploma that guaranteed the
skills of both the teacher and the student. Unlike European samplers, chelliga do not normally include the name of the worker or a date.
Hans Eworth trained in Antwerp as a painter, along with as a goldsmith
and a jeweler. In 1540, he became a master freeman in the Guild of St.
Luke in Antwerp. By 1545, he was in London, England.
The Guild of Saint of Luke was first mentioned in 1382. In 1442, the
guild received special privileges from the city of Antwerp. The guild
was a guild for painters and artists until 1795.
Eworth's style of painting was
influenced by the work of Hans Holbein the Younger, who had been a court
painter to Henry VIII. Eworth painted many portraits of the gentry and nobility
in Tudor England. 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,
according to the National Gallery of Canada. It’s worth noting that Holbein
died in 1543.
Depending on the source,
about 26 portraits up to 40 portraits are attributed to Eworth. 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 with Catholic aristocrats, even though he himself was a
Protestant.
Although he may have fell
out of favor, he continued painting during Elizabeth’s reign. For example, he
painted Elizabeth I and the Three Goddesses in 1569, which is in the Queen’s
Drawing Room at Windsor Castle. 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.
Lucas Horenbout (or Hornebolte) was a renowned Flemish artist
(illuminator), who was employed by King Henry VIII of England in 1525 as
a court miniaturist and later appointed to the office of King's Painter
in 1534 (this position was renewed in 1544).
Twenty-two miniatures have been attributed to Horenbout, dating from c.
1525-c. 1543/4. His later work was overshadowed by the output of his
brilliant pupil in the art of miniature painting, Hans Holbein the
Younger.
My interpretation of the embroidery pattern found on Katherine of Aragon's miniature portrait by Horenbout:
My interpretation of the embroidery pattern found on the Portrait Miniature possibly of Anne Boleyn:
My interpretation of the embroidery pattern found on Henry Fitzroy's nightcap.
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