The Embroideries at Hardwick Hall: a catalogue by Santina M. Levey

The collection of late sixteenth-century embroidery, needlework and wrought linen at the National Trust's Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire is a remarkable survival. Largely commissioned by the redoubtable Elizabeth, Countess of Shrewsbury - otherwise known as 'Bess of Hardwick' - the pieces range from small panels of needlework and linen sewn with gold and colored silks to a dramatic set of huge wall hangings depicting 'Heroic Women of the Ancient World'. Most of the pieces were made within her household and have subsequently remained in the charge of the Dukes of Devonshire for over 400 years. This comprehensive catalogue has an introductory section, which provides essential background information and compares the surviving pieces at Hardwick with the furnishings of Bess of Hardwick's contemporaries. The catalogue itself is divided by technique and, within each section, by type of object. Santina Levey looks at each piece in turn, explaining how is was made and by which type of embroiderer. Many of the items are well documented and Levey throws new light on the ways in which they were displayed and even re-used at different times. She also provides fascinating new material on design sources. Full color photography brings life to the objects with details enabling close examination of materials and techniques. Many of the pieces have not been described or illustrated before.

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