Embroidery, 'Flora'

Embroidery 'Flora' 1909 by Lady Jane Cory (1866-1947)

'Flora' was embroidered in 1909 by Lady Cory (nee Lethbridge) who was born in Taunton, Somerset in 1866. 'Flora' is a name for the allegorical figure of 'Spring' which forms the focus of this large-scale embroidery.

Lady Cory died in 1947 without issue, bequeathing most of her estate to major English museums including the Victoria and Albert in London. The Dominion Museum (now Te Papa) accepted this and eight other large scale embroideries when they were turned down by the Victoria and Albert. The works arrived in Wellington in 1948 and now form part of Te Papa's collection.

Design
Although she embroidered this picture, Lady Cory did not create the design. This embroidery is after an 1890s version of a woven tapestry - the original designed by the artist Edward Burne-Jones and designer William Morris in the mid 1880s. The tapestry design was reworked in the 1890s by Morris's head designer, John Henry Dearle, and it is his design which Lady Cory has copied.

From the 1890s, the Royal School of Needlework in London formed relationships with artists from whom they commissioned coloured cartoons (designs) of their work which were sold to embroiderers. It is very likely that Lady Cory purchased a large cartoon of 'Flora' by John Henry Dearle, resulting in this embroidery.

Materials and Technique
'Flora' is embroidered in worsted wool and silk threads on a linen ground. The types of stitches used include long and short stitch, french knots and stem stitch. Jane Cory would have probably used a large freestanding tapestry frame the width of the work which had a device for rolling the embroidery as it was worked. An embroidery of this size would have taken several months to complete.

Significance

This and the other eight embroideries by Lady Jane Cory constitute a nationally significant body of work; the Arts Crafts style embroideries being particular important examples of this popular late 19th century English style.