Last year, I wrote this article about finding the illustrator behind the Loreto Embroideries in the Royal School of Needlework’s collections.

Today, for enthusiasts of historical embroidery and art in general, I’d like to share with you, with permission from the author, a short article by John Shaffer, retired Director of Arts Programming at the State University of New York, Oswego.

John is also a fan of Anichini’s illustrations. We’ve corresponded back and forth for a little while about Anichini, so I was thrilled to read his insightful article. I think you will enjoy it, too, especially if you’ve experienced the Loreto embroideries at the RSN.

It almost seems irreverent to refer to any church embroidery as ugly. But … the fact is, some church embroidery is ugly. The case in point: parts of an old vestment I’m going to show you.

While overall, the vestment has its ugly aspects, there are still several commendable elements on this old piece. And there’s a lot to look at, think about, and study in it.

But oh! There are several things that really bug me about it!