Hearse Cloth of Henry VII: AAL.3-2002

Titles

Hearse Cloth of Henry VII

Maker(s)

Maker: uncertain

Entities

• Hearse cloth

Categories

• Woven textiles

Description

Hearse cloth of gold with an applied red velvet cross with alternating applied embroidered rose and portcullis motifs, and a centrally placed coat-of-arms of Henry VII.
Made in England with late 15th century Italian silk, and English embroidery, 1505.

Legal notes

Lent by the University of Cambridge

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Loan (2002) by University of Cambridge

Dating

Early 16th Century
Henry VII
Circa 1504 - 1505

Note

Pattern and weave structure are consistent with a late 15th century date. The degraded but still discernable pattern of stylized pomegranates on the ‘cloth of gold’ is typical of late 15th century Italian weaving. Cloth of gold is a complex fabric with a supplementary warp and weft, the warp producing a velvet pattern of cut and uncut loops. During conservation metal thread, dye, and weave analysis confirmed the stylistic data, and it is generally accepted that the maroon velvet cross and applied embroideries date from the original construction of the hearse cloth in the early 16th century.

There are no known references to where the hearse cloth was made.

School or Style

Renaissance