In this talk, Isabella will survey the history of the RSN’s collection and explore several key pieces in it, using them to illustrate how much information can be gleaned from analysing an embroidery’s physical qualities and social context. Isabella will take you on a rousing tour of objects from 7th-century Coptic weaving to 21st-century Chinese silk painting, focusing on some collection favourites and items similar to those in the ‘Textiles: The Art of Mankind’ exhibition.
The RSN has been the international centre of excellence for the Art of Hand Embroidery since 1872. Based at the magnificent Hampton Court Palace, south-west London, it offers a thriving education programme for everyone from beginner to degree level and teaches onsite and online across the globe. The RSN collection includes intricate hand embroidered works, as well as a range of non-embroidered costume and textiles spanning more than ten centuries. Its renowned Embroidery Studio creates stunning bespoke embroidery for fashion, art and royalty, as well as expertly restoring and conserving valuable and historical embroidered pieces’.
Image: Chinese Needle Painting
About the curator
Dr Isabella Rosner is the Curator of Textiles at the Royal School of Needlework and Research Consultant at Witney Antiques. She is a 2023 BBC/AHRC New Generation Thinker and author of Stitching Freedom: Embroidery and Incarceration (Common Threads Press). Isabella also hosts the successful Sew What? podcast about historical needlework and those who stitched it.
infoInfo
Confirmation email: Once you have made a booking, you will receive a confirmation email detailing all the information you will need prior to your event, this is your event ticket. You will also receive a reminder email one week prior to your event.
Event details: Please check your confirmation email for the start and finish times of your event. Upon entry, please present your ticket(s) on your device or a note of your booking reference number. Exhibition entry is included in your ticket, you are welcome to view the exhibition before or after the event.
Eating and drinking: No food or drink is permitted in the Museum, other than bottled water. The Fashion and Textile Museum is located in the heart of Bermondsey Street, surrounded by award-winning restaurants, cafes and pubs. So, if you would like to enjoy a meal or a drink before or after your visit, there is plenty to choose from.For more information, check out our plan your visit page or our FAQs.