Needlework coat of arms (Embroidered hatchment)

Description

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.