A CHARLES II NEEDLEWORK PICTURE OF A LADY AND GENTLEMAN

In contrast to most extant examples of 17th Century domestic embroidery, this picture is charmingly naive. Many were the result of skilled embroideresses working to a printed ground, and while this example incorporates elements from those, the loose arrangement and cruder stitching are unusual. It may in fact be a portrait of specific people, as opposed to the more common biblical or mytholgical figures.