St. James the Less
EmbroidererAttributed to
Prudence Punderson
(American, 1758 - 1784)
Date1776-1780
MediumEmbroidery; silk thread and ink on a plain-woven silk ground
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (height x width of ground): 9 1/2 x 8 1/4in. (24.1 x 21cm)
Mount (height x width): 9 1/2 x 8 1/2in. (24.1 x 21.6cm)
ClassificationsTextiles
Credit LineGift of Newton C. Brainard
Object number1962.28.3c
DescriptionNeedlework picture worked in black, brown, green, cream and red silk threads on a plain-woven gold silk ground, using a surface satin stitch and other stitches. At the bottom is a hand-written inscription in black ink: "St. James the Less/ He was cast down from the temple & after killed with a fuller's club." This is one of a group of twelve silk needlework pictures; each depicts an apostle and has an ink inscription at the bottom with the name of the apostle and a description of their death.
The needlework picture is rectangular, oriented vertically. It shows a man standing to the left of a side chair. The man is wearing a tan hat with a wide brim, a long black robe, or banyan, and has bare feet. The wooden chair is in the Queen Anne, or late baroque, style and has a yoke-shaped crest rail, a vase-shaped splat, rush seat, turned legs and stretchers and Spanish feet. To the right of the chair are bushes and trees with white flowers. In his right hand the man holds a tall stick, or club, with a protrusion at the top.
The edges of the needlework picture are whip-stitched. The selvedge, plain-woven with red warp yarns and two gold singles at center of selvedge, is at the left edge of the needlework. The picture is hand-drawn with black ink and some red ink. The needlework is embroidered with untwisted silk and twisted silk thread (2 or 3 Z-spun yarns, S plied). The ground has 112 yarns per inch in the warp and 80 yarns per inch in the weft.
Stitches: The principal stitch is the surface satin stitch; it also includes stem and free-form stitches.
Condition: There is a hole in the ground to the left of the saint's head. There is some fading to the ground and embroidery. The needlework picture has been cleaned gently then stitched to a plain-woven cotton support fabric applied to a rigid mount. The picture is not framed.
The needlework picture is rectangular, oriented vertically. It shows a man standing to the left of a side chair. The man is wearing a tan hat with a wide brim, a long black robe, or banyan, and has bare feet. The wooden chair is in the Queen Anne, or late baroque, style and has a yoke-shaped crest rail, a vase-shaped splat, rush seat, turned legs and stretchers and Spanish feet. To the right of the chair are bushes and trees with white flowers. In his right hand the man holds a tall stick, or club, with a protrusion at the top.
The edges of the needlework picture are whip-stitched. The selvedge, plain-woven with red warp yarns and two gold singles at center of selvedge, is at the left edge of the needlework. The picture is hand-drawn with black ink and some red ink. The needlework is embroidered with untwisted silk and twisted silk thread (2 or 3 Z-spun yarns, S plied). The ground has 112 yarns per inch in the warp and 80 yarns per inch in the weft.
Stitches: The principal stitch is the surface satin stitch; it also includes stem and free-form stitches.
Condition: There is a hole in the ground to the left of the saint's head. There is some fading to the ground and embroidery. The needlework picture has been cleaned gently then stitched to a plain-woven cotton support fabric applied to a rigid mount. The picture is not framed.
Label TextThe subject matter of this series is unique in early American needlework.
Each picture depicts one of the twelve Christian apostles, accompanied
by one or more of his traditional symbols and a caption describing
his manner of death. These grim captions contrast starkly with the
pleasant landscapes, bright flowers, and engaging animals that evoke
a Garden of Eden. The subject matter likely relates to the Punderson
family’s adherence to the Church of England, an unpopular choice in
overwhelmingly Congregational colonial Connecticut.
The stitches are executed with great precision and ingenuity on fine silk,
and convey muscles, drapery, feathers, wood grain, and wool. The facial
expressions are more individualized than was generally attempted or
achieved in early American embroidery.
NotesSubject Note: James the Less is also known as James son of Alphaeus; he is identified with James the Just although there is some confusion as to the identity of the two men. James the Less is listed in Matthew 10:2-4 as one of the twelve apostles. (See also Mark 3:18, Luke 6:15, and Acts 1:13). James the Less's death is described in John Foxe's Book of Martyrs (written and published about 1560): "James the Less. ... He was elected to the oversight of the churches of Jerusalem; and was the author of the Epistle ascribed to James in the sacred canon. At the age of ninety-four he was beat and stoned by the Jews; and finally had his brains dashed out with a fuller's club."Each picture depicts one of the twelve Christian apostles, accompanied
by one or more of his traditional symbols and a caption describing
his manner of death. These grim captions contrast starkly with the
pleasant landscapes, bright flowers, and engaging animals that evoke
a Garden of Eden. The subject matter likely relates to the Punderson
family’s adherence to the Church of England, an unpopular choice in
overwhelmingly Congregational colonial Connecticut.
The stitches are executed with great precision and ingenuity on fine silk,
and convey muscles, drapery, feathers, wood grain, and wool. The facial
expressions are more individualized than was generally attempted or
achieved in early American embroidery.
Subject Note: A fuller's club is a long slender tool used to beat cloth for the purpose of cleansing and thickening it. (Source: Oxford English Dictionary.)
Source Note: Some elements of the needlework pictures of the Twelve Apostles (1962.28.3a-l) are taken from The Artist's Vade Mecum (published in London, 1776).
Status
Not on view
