Pictorial raised work embroidery of a dog

A canvaswork piece of a King Charles spaniel, c. 1870 probably using a Berlin woolwork pattern. Queen Victoria’s passion for her King Charles spaniel “Dash”, led to many pictures of pets curled up on a tasseled cushion. The dog is done in plush stitch and the cushion in cross stitch. On the front edge of the cushion is beadwork in a swastika-like design as well as the tassels. Plush stitch was done by making loops that were later cut, combed, and then sculpted with a scissors to produce contours that gave it a natural appearance. Molly Proctor in her book Victorian Canvas Work mentions that the magazines of the day advised taking the work to a shop for the sculpting part as that was the most difficult part. The identity of the worker is not known but the sculpting is very well done with many subtle contours.

Currently not on view