Wandbespanning van borduurwerk. c. 1660 - 1670

This wall covering was made by Simon Vouet, we’re not sure exactly when, but most likely in the first half of the 17th century. It’s an embroidery, meaning that the image is built up with stitches on a pre-existing ground. Look closely and you can see the texture of the linen on which this scene of royal coronation has been wrought. Now, consider the laborious process of production: the design, the transfer to fabric, the selection of threads, the careful laying down of each stitch, and the finishing. This was an expensive proposition. Embroidery was a rarefied pursuit in the early modern period, often associated with courtly activity, even though most of the stitching would have been done by professional male artisans. The point was to display wealth and refinement, to demonstrate the capacity to spend lavishly on something beautiful, and the capacity to orchestrate that kind of labor. So, in the end, it’s not just an image on a cloth, but an index of social relations.