Panel, embroidered panel

Panel of fine linen canvas embroidered with coloured silks in tent stitch, about 19 to the cm. The panel, which was left unfinished, is still sewn to the tapes by which it was fixed to the embroidery frame. The motifs are drawn on in black pencil and are shaded with a grey wash. In the centre is a large tree with full foliage and, at its base, a rather small figure of a seated woman and a bass violin. To either side are separate motifs: two lions, one leopard and two parrots one on a sprig of cherry, the other on a sprig of rosehip. The motifs would have been cut out and applied to another ground, either to make a picture or to decorate a casket, mirror frame or other object. The embroiderer has secured the soft floss embroidery silk well clear of the edges of the motifs.