Embellishing a story

The embroidery is composed of silk thread and small beaded decorations on a silk canvas, with the faces and hands of the figures finished in watercolour. The scene seems to show a betrothal between a woman wearing a veil and a man with a feathered cap, encouraged by the queen-like figure who stands between them. A king sits to one side on a low chaise below a cloth of honour. He wears a cloth headdress with his crown resting on the table beside him. Two armoured soldiers are in the scene, one of whom holds a red and white flag with stars in the white quarters. As a Curatorial Volunteer, I was tasked with discovering the source of the scene and exploring literature, biblical stories, and historical events to learn more about it. 

One notable aspect of the embroidered scene is the costume worn by the figures, which may reflect the contemporary style of the story. Some figures appear to be in Middle Eastern dress, while others are in Western European dress. The man on the left-hand side wears galligaskins (exaggerated trouser-like wear) and white hose, a doublet with puffed sleeves, a feathered hat and an asymmetrical cape, all typical of the courtly dress of the 16th and 17th centuries – especially in England, France and Spain. In the 1603 hunting painting of Prince Henry Frederick of Wales by Robert Peake (in the image above), the Prince wears a similar feathered hat alongside galligaskins and a wide collar, demonstrating the wear popular in the late 16th century and early 17th century. The king in the embroidery wears a cloth headdress and sits on a low sofa, a style common in Ottoman furniture. This, and his dress, indicate that he is of Middle Eastern origin. The dresses worn by the women in the needlework are similar to depictions of Queen Tomyris from 1655 (in the image below), an ancient queen of the Massagetae (an eastern Iranian civilization), who dons a tiara and veil as well as a richly detailed, heavy-looking and thick dress which reflects the style of ancient Middle Eastern dress at Tomyris’ time. 

In the 16th century, the Pope excommunicated Queen Elizabeth I, prompting her to seek new trade opportunities, especially with Ottoman leaders. Many explorers and privateers operated under special, sometimes secret, orders from the queen. A well-known explorer, Sir Francis Drake, is shown in the engraving below, holding a globe, with his coat of arms in the corner. His coat of arms, like the flag in the needlework, features stars, symbolising his navigation by stars at sea. This may suggest a similar journey for the armoured figure in the needlework. As trade with the Ottomans grew, biblical stories from the Middle East became more popular in Western art. For example, the tales of Esther and Ahasuerus, an ancient Persian king and queen, and Queen Tomyris gained attention. 

Whilst the Leith Hall embroidery was most likely completed in the early 19th century, it included a dress more in keeping with 16th- and 17th-century fashion. Why would this have been recreated in the 19th century? The British Empire continued expanding when Mary Margaret Leith-Hay chose to embroider this picture. In the 19th century, stories about finding new places and exploring distant lands likely captivated many women. Many in Britain had romanticised views of colonisation, often unaware of the harsh realities that we understand now.

When researching the Leith Hall embroidered picture, I found two more examples of the same scene that had been sold at auction in the past few years. Although the main figures were the same, different colours and patterns were used, altering some of the finer details, and neither featured the view of a castle on a cliff behind the figures that is included in the Leith Hall version. This demonstrates an embroidery pattern was in circulation. Typically, the pattern maker for such an embroidery would mark the pattern onto canvas and paint the watercolour details for the embroiderer to work around. The embroiderer would choose their own thread colour. In this case, the embroiderer may have also painted the watercolour details, as it is thought Mary Margaret Leith-Hay completed this work and was an able watercolourist (a sample of her work is below). It’s unclear whether the house significantly impacts the story, or perhaps the artist of this work decided to include it to fill the otherwise empty wall behind the figures.

I haven't figured out what this scene means — literary, historical, or biblical — but it shows how women were educated and their desire to connect with the world beyond home life. Pieces like the one at Leith Hall can be viewed as art, revealing how educated women from wealthy families learned skills similar to artists. They understood composition and how to arrange figures in a space. They used thread to create texture, shine, and colour shading for a three-dimensional effect. Additionally, these women were well-read and familiar with the stories they embroidered, having studied history and literature. The embroidered piece at Leith Hall showcases Mary Margaret’s talent as an artist and maker, making it a fascinating topic for conversation with visitors.