Object Number 1994.0003 A, B

Object Name

Needlework coat of arms (Embroidered hatchment)

Title

Cushing family coat of arms

Category

Textiles (Needlework)

Credit Line/Donor

Museum purchase with partial funds provided by Vira L. M. H. Goldman

Place of Origin

Hingham, Massachusetts, New England, United States, North America

Subjects

Armorial device

Materials

Silk; Canvas; Metal; Wood; Glass

Techniques

Embroidered, Woven (plain), Canvaswork

Construction Description

Hand-embroidered

Dimensions (inches)

28 (L) , 28 (W)

Dimensions (centimeters)

71.12 (L) , 71.12 (W)

Measurement Notes

Measurements are from the highest point to the lowest within the frame. Frame measurements: H 38.000" x W 38.000" x D 1.750"

Object Description

Web - 12/30/2014

This hatchment, worked with silk and metallic threads on canvas, represents the coat of arms used by Matthew Cushing of Hingham, Massachusetts in 1638, and was embroidered in 1750, probably by a member of the Cushing family. This is a superlative example of the rare genre of coat of arms embroidered in New England. It survives in nearly pristine condition with a ground embroidered in bright green silk, which has retained most of its original color. The silver and gold metallic threads are brilliant and untarnished. The condition of the hatchment allows us to appreciate the original impact of the coat of arms. Embroidered hatchments were typically worked in one of two ways, either in long stitch on black satin backgrounds enhanced with metal threads, or more rarely (as seen in this example), on linen canvas with colorful silk threads, metallic threads, and a colored, worked background.

Bibliography and Bibliographic Notes

[Book] Little, Nina Fletcher. 1984 Little by Little: Six Decades of Collecting American Decorative Arts.
• Published: plate 181, see pages 140,145,146.
[Book] Swan, Susan Burrows. 1995 Plain and Fancy: American Women and their Needlework, 1650-1850.
• Published: p. 168, pl. 34
[Book] Fennimore, Donald L., et al. 1994 Eye for Excellence: Masterworks from Winterthur.
• Published: p. 97