Emblems for a Queen

The many pieces of embroidery made by Mary Queen of Scots and by Elizabeth Countess of Shrewsbury are among the best-known and most important examples of historical embroidery. Most notable is the extent to which the embroideries executed by the two women constitute a single, distinctive body of creative work. The purpose of this book is to address the many unanswered questions surrounding the meaning and purpose of their embroidery and above all, the sources and patterns used for their imagery.