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Tuesday 8 May 2012

The Bourne Casket - Lancashire Museums

Lancashire Museums have a beautiful example of a late Stuart embroidered casket - The Bourne Casket - which you can see open here, showing all the drawers and compartments. There are three small and one long drawer all fronted with beautiful salmon silk-velvet edged with similar ribbon. Inside is the original fitted mirror in a recessed panel. But the real excitement comes within hidden lower compartment. It contains  a small box within which is an acorn from the Boscobel Oak covered in silk embroidery and silver-gilt brocade!
The casket has its own carrying case thought to be of pine. It is covered with a hand-painted floral design paper whichis probably of a later date.
On the lid is an embroidered panel depecting Rebecca at the well. This is a lovely spouting fountain, a regular sight on Stuart panels - as is the castle beyond.
On one side is  Joseph leading Mary on a Donkey.
On the back is Abraham sacrificing Isaac. Below you can see the other side panel which portrays the meeting of Solomon with the Queen of Sheba. For more details, click here.

7 comments:

  1. How wonderful. I've just downloaded the first lesson in Tricia's casket class, so this is very appropriate.

    Thanks Jacqueline.

    Marjan

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  2. What a pity the acorn isn't shown!
    All done in L&S stitch and wonderful colour use and animals. A really nice snail
    :-)

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  3. It is a pity about that acorn! Marjan, I am so excited to see your casket - you have a magic eye and needle!

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  4. Gorgeous, just gorgeous!! Imagine having that beauty on your dressing table!! I wonder if they were kept in a bedroom, or out on show so visitors could admire the young ladies skills with their needle?

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  5. I have also just downloaded the first lesson in the Cabinet of Curiousities Class. Yesterday I was reading about caskets of this design and where the secret draws are. I looked at the pictures of this casket with fresh eyes :-) I like the floral and fauna around the frieze.

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  6. I had a feeling Stuart, and further back Tudor sewing boxes almost resembled a jewelry like casket. With muliple compartments and small enough for travel. Considering a nobles sewing kit was probably expensive, Its nice to see my theory is true. Its amazing working with the time peroid how one can get a sense of how things were used. Though that took 8 years to get my theories right.
    Thanks for posting this, now to find something similar to for my sewing implements.

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  7. This casket is beautiful. I wouldn't mind one myself.

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