Cleveland Museum of Art

Man's Nightcap

Date

late 1500s

Medium

Silk, silver thread, plaited braiding, linen; embroidery: chain and buttonhole stitches

Culture

England, Elizabethan Period, late 16th century

Department

Textiles

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

According to Elizabethan embroidery scholar Jacqui Carey, this man’s nightcap is constructed of a single piece of embroidered, plain weave linen, cut and folded as is typical of the period. The four points cut into the top edge of the fabric are joined to form the crown while the lower edge is folded back to create the brim. The top edge of the brim is trimmed with bobbin lace. The seams on the crown are hidden with decorative stitching. The floral motifs (rose, borage, pansy and strawberry) set within coiling stems and foliage also is typical of the period. The embroidered motifs are worked with silver metal thread (thin metal strips wrapped around a white silk core). The design is the same in each quadrant. Eight different stitches are used on the nightcap, inclding Elizabethan plaited braid stitch (standard version), Elizabethan plaited braid stitch (variation two), chain stitch, Elizabethan double looped edging (on chain stitch), Elizabethan corded detached buttonhole stitch, Elizabethan spider’s web, five-spoke Elizabethan spider’s web, Elizabethan double ladder with filling, and Elizabethan double Ceylon.

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