Susanna Perwich
English, 1636–1661
Embroidered Cabinet
around 1645–1655
linen plain weave and silk satin with silk embroidery, metallic braid, silk plain weave, and mirrored glass Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John A. McCone
This track covers 3 objects.
The first object is approximately 12 inches tall by 10 inches wide and 8 inches deep. It is displayed at table height in the centre of a freestanding plexiglass case with two similar sized objects, a cabinet and a sewing and painting box, one on either side. They are all approximately the size of 2 shoe boxes stacked atop of one another. This cabinet is covered in images embroidered in coloured threads on all sides. Each edge is adorned with a ribbon of metallic silver braid. The cabinet’s colours are mainly soft pastel and it has a hinged lid which has a top that opens. The box top is smaller than the main part of the cabinet. The hinged lid has sloping sides that widen it to match the main part of the cabinet. It resembles a traditional house with a long flat roof. The front of the cabinet has two plated brass keyholes, one in the lid and one on the front right door.
The front of the cabinet has door flaps that are slightly ajar. The cabinet is covered in embroidered images, which depict a story on the top and main side panels in a painterly style with a washed watercolour look. The story is a biblical narrative. The lid is embroidered with a leopard on the front and other fauna, such as a caterpillar fly and other images from nature. The top has text written in an embroidered script that wraps all around which is too faded to make out. The sides of the cabinet have people which are outlined as are houses, trees, the sun and clouds. The finer details like the facial features are done with thin stitches over top. The story illustrated on the cabinet is that of the biblical character Ruth, great-grandmother of the legendary harpist King David. The story starts on the panel at the front left, Ruth is depicted beside Naomi who is seated and another woman, Oprah is in the background. On front right Ruth kneels on the ground at the feet of a seated man with a hat named Boaz, a man is in the far background in a field and another closer man watches. Ruth’s story continues, and moves counterclockwise to the back with a group seated as if for a meal, Ruth laying with Boaz and Oprah nearby. Ruth sitting with Naomi and on the cabinet’s top Ruth stands behind Naomi as she sits with a group of men.
Unknown English embroiderer
Embroidered Cabinet
around 1665
silk satin and linen plain weave with silk and metallic-thread embroidery, metal purl, metallic braid, silk plain weave, metallic-embossed paper, metal, and glass
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Gift of the Horowitz Family
To the right of the cabinet by Susanna Perwich is a similarly embroidered cabinet displayed with it’s front door flaps open. It has three rows of drawers that have small round drawer pulls. The exterior of this cabinet depicts a scene with people, and the interior shows plants and nature.
On the opposite end of the display case is a wooden case which is propped open and shows the type of embroidery supplies and objects that could be stored inside the cabinet. It includes sewing scissors, thread spools, needle cushions and some paint pigments which are small dry bricks of colour. The cabinets could have also contained personal possessions such as rings, letters, jewels, and keepsakes.
Exhibition label text:
Small, embroidered tabletop boxes, called caskets or cabinets, contained sewing tools or its stitcher’s possessions. Young makers like Susanna Perwich and the unidentified stitcher of the other cabinet here worked on these elaborate and time-consuming projects toward the end of their needlework education. These boxes combined public consumption with private treasure- keeping.
Due to changes in decorative taste, the waning popularity of home embroidery, and the reality that textile goods were often destroyed to combat the spread of disease during times of contagion, surviving examples of historical needlework objects like these are rare.