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Source Description

According to Elizabethan embroidery scholar Jacqui Carey, the construction and design of this man’s nightcap is typical of the period. The embroidery on this nightcap—worked with both black silk thread and silver metal thread (metal strips wrapped around a white silk core) onto a plain weave linen fabric—features daffodils, birds, and fruit set within coiling stems and foliage. Five different stitches are used, including Elizabethan plaited braid stitch, chain stitch, stem stitch, straight stitch, and Elizabethan spider’s web stitch. The arrangement of the motifs is the same in each quadrant, and similar motifs are repeated around the brim. In places, the ink lines of the design are visible on the fabric, though most are covered with the embroidery.

Scholar Source Context

Document identity
localId
121792
label
Man's Cap
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
121792
contentType
object
title
Man's Cap
description
According to Elizabethan embroidery scholar Jacqui Carey, the construction and design of this man’s nightcap is typical of the period. The embroidery on this nightcap—worked with both black silk thread and silver metal thread (metal strips wrapped around a white silk core) onto a plain weave linen fabric—features daffodils, birds, and fruit set within coiling stems and foliage. Five different stitches are used, including Elizabethan plaited braid stitch, chain stitch, stem stitch, straight stitch, and Elizabethan spider’s web stitch. The arrangement of the motifs is the same in each quadrant, and similar motifs are repeated around the brim. In places, the ink lines of the design are visible on the fabric, though most are covered with the embroidery.
date
late 1500s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q80018089
genreSpecific
Embroidery
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 16 x 18 x 18 cm (6 5/16 x 7 1/16 x 7 1/16 in.)
cul
England, Elizabethan Period, late 16th century
accession
1942.165
Source extras
tec
embroidery; silk and silver gilt thread on linen
tombstone
Man's Cap, late 1500s. England, Elizabethan Period, late 16th century. Embroidery; silk and silver gilt thread on linen; overall: 16 x 18 x 18 cm (6 5/16 x 7 1/16 x 7 1/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund, 1942.165
collection
Textiles
creditline
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 06:16:21.473000
sourceId
121792
dept
Textiles
coll
Textiles
med
embroidery; silk and silver gilt thread on linen
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
e463ee47f0ad5d0a