Fragments

Two sewn-together but unrelated embroidered pieces are held in the Victoria & Albert Museum (8240&B-1863). The embroidered red silken band shows a design with foliage, birds and, a stag and kid. The embroidery is executed in normal surface couching and was made in England or Germany between AD 1150-1200. The crudely attached figure is embroidered in underside couching using a single gold thread. Its stiff posture is characteristic of the Romanesque period. This embroidery was made in England around AD 1190-1220. The original purpose of the two embroidered textiles is hard to determine. The fragment with the figure might have been the lappet of a mitre.

A probable fragment of a vestment held at the Victoria & Albert Museum (T.60-1190) shows a scroll design with foliage and lozenges. It was made c. AD 1170-1200 in England. The goldwork embroidery is executed with pairs of silver-gilt thread in underside couching on purple silk. The fragment was probably recycled to be used as a seal bag to cover a seal on a charter.

The original function of a roundel held at the Victoria & Albert Museum (1249-1864), made between c. AD 1230-1250 in England is unknown. It depicts a king with a raised sword. A single silver-gilt thread was used for the underside couching on linen-backed silk. The original silk has almost completely worn away, exposing the linen layer below. The figure of the king is a little less static and stiff, indicating that we move towards the end of the Romanesque period and into the Gothic period.