Raised work picture of Harmony and the Four Continents. Upper left is Africa with a globe and cockatrice. Upper right is America, holding a bow and arrow and wearing a feathered headdress, with a wild cat to the left. Lower left is Europe crowned and holding a scepter in one hand and the "BIBLA SACRA" in the other. Lower right is Asia, waving an incense burner, flanked by a camel and chicken. The center figure is Harmony, playing her lute.

 

Curious Works

British Embroidery at Colonial Williamsburg

WILLIAMSBURG, VA. - "British Embroidery: `Curious Works' from the Seventeenth Century" is at the DeWitt Wallace Gallery at Colonial Williamsburg through September 6. The exhibit showcases more than 100 padded, boxed and beaded examples of Seventeenth Century embroidery, lace, knitting and needlework tools. Many of the items - boxes, cabinets, gloves, panels and purses - are on display for the first time and include a number of three-dimensional works of art. The exhibit is part of the 1999 tricentennial celebration of the establishment of Williamsburg as the capital of Virginia.

`Curious Works' examines key topics such as needlework as an essential component of female education; as a domestic activity in middle- and upper-class households; as a profession for men; and as the product of cottage industry. The exhibit focuses on how embroideries also reflect the makers' and owners' religious, political and social concerns.

According to guest curator Kathleen Epstein, in the 1600s the term `curious work' referred to a piece of needlework that was artfully done. "The most fascinating feature of British embroideries and needle arts of the Seventeenth Century is that so many of them reflect the educational, religious, political, economic and social concerns of the people who designed and used them. Today, we can discover these concerns if we read the embroideries not only as textiles but as texts."

Two-and-a-half hours from Washington, D.C., Colonial Williamsburg has been variously praised as a "Favorite Historic Site," "Favorite Living History Museum," and one of the "25 Essential Historic Sites." In May, Washingtonian magazine's first-ever reader travel survey voted Colonial Williamsburg favorite weekend getaway, top historical attraction and a number one trip for children. For information and reservations, call toll-free 800/HISTORY.