Panel c. 18th century

This embroidered panel, a work of anonymous creation, invites us to consider the world of domestic crafts and the lives of those who often labored in obscurity. Without a known maker, the panel embodies a collective history, echoing the many hands that have engaged in similar practices across time. The flora and fauna depicted, rendered in delicate stitches, hint at a desire to capture and perhaps domesticate the natural world. This impulse is deeply entwined with the social and cultural expectations placed on women, who were often relegated to the domestic sphere and encouraged to cultivate virtues of patience and beauty through such crafts. Embroidery, like this panel, becomes a silent yet powerful medium for expression, laden with the personal and emotional histories of its maker. Its creation reflects the societal constraints, and the subversive potential of domestic labor to become a site of personal expression and resistance. The panel invites us to reflect on the untold stories and unrecognized labor embedded within its stitches.