Mirror with Jael and Barak

Unknown

1672 · Satin worked with silk and metal-wrapped thread, beads, purl, mica, seed pearls; detached buttonhole variations, long-and-short, satin, couching, and straight stitches; wood frame, celluloid imitation tortoiseshell, mirror glass, silk plush · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

The embroidered decoration of this mirror frame was derived from a printed source such as an illustrated Bible and features a composition similar to that of a decorative title page. The biblical characters Jael and Barak, flanking the mirror glass, appear in the book of Judges. The frame is surmounted by a figure of Charity; animals, mythic and actual, symbolizing the Four Continents, occupy the corners (from upper left): a griffin representing Africa, a basilisk representing America, a stag representing Europe, and a camel for Asia.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1672

Medium

Satin worked with silk and metal-wrapped thread, beads, purl, mica, seed pearls; detached buttonhole variations, long-and-short, satin, couching, and straight stitches; wood frame, celluloid imitation tortoiseshell, mirror glass, silk plush

Culture

British

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Purchase, Mrs. Thomas J. Watson Gift, 1939