Michael Bath, Emblems for a Queen. The Needlework of Mary Queen of Scots

摘要

Mary, Queen of Scots has long been a figure of fascination and controversy. For textile historians, her well-known embroideries made with Elizabeth, Countess of Shrewsbury ('Bess of Hardwick') add to her attractions. Her surviving embroideries, now divided between Oxburgh Hall, Hardwick Hall, the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the Victoria and Albert Museum, have been the subject of numerous studies, not least by Santina Levey and Margaret Swain. Michael Bath's book brings a different and distinct perspective to these studies. As he himself acknowledges, his expertise is not in embroidery. Nonetheless his extensive specialist knowledge of the English and continental tradition of emblems provides new insights into these complex and challenging textiles.