Elmsley Rose: Historical Sampler

2 August 2008

Historical Sampler - Placement Notes

I started designing my first motif last night, based on a pattern from a pattern book, and found I had to find out a few more things.

These are some things I've noticed in Elizabethan scolling vine design :

Leaves and flowers may impact upon/cross over/go under vines

An entirely different flower may be included with the main flower

Leaves in the interior of one scroll may be of different shapes

The end of the scroll is such that the main flower usually points 90 deg upwards, unless it is a hanging motif (eg peapods, foxglove) in which case it curves over more

Leaves may or may not have stalks extruding from the main vine

There may be partial leaves

The following can be randomly spotted around as between vine space fillers, and may or may not be connected to it

Butterflies, insects, snails
Birds
Leaves
Pomengrates.
Strawberries
spangles
Small curliques
Acorns

Leaves may intrude on the interior of the scroll from the main vine, or extrude from the inner coil of the vine into the interior of the scroll

Leaves may come off the scroll in a straight line (tho I think this looks clumsy)

Small stalks may curl over the main vine

In Illumination work, I’m used to following the rule “leaves/fruit alternate on each side of the vine”. This rule isn’t followed here. They go wherever they’ll fit.

Snails and the other creatures sit on balanced on top of the vine, not over it.

Any insect may be free-floating.

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Sources ::

Jacket (The Laton Jacket)

England
About 1610; 1620 (alteration)
Linen, embroidered with coloured silks, silver and silver-gilt thread
Width 60cm x length 51cm x circumference 79.5cm
Museum no. T.288-1994