A very interesting subject to have chosen to embroider..
embroidery, probably for a firescreen or chair back, the bust of a female slave? with blue and ivory plaited head ribbon within a belt, the end with a serpent, the top with the motto Dum Spiro Spero While I breathe, I hope, worked in shades of blue, yellow and cream, all on a beige ground, the edges with diagonal blocks in in shades of soft khaki and cream, the edge and base worked in maroon, all in wools using tent stitch with a little silk to the plinth of the bust, 26 1/2 x 18 in; 67 x 46 cmpanel, probably for a chair back, the bust of a female slave with blue and ivory plaited head ribbon within a belt, the end with a serpent, the top with the motto Dum Spiro Spero While I breathe, I hope, worked in shades of blue, yellow and cream, all on a beige ground, the edges with diagonal blocks in in shades of soft khaki and cream, the edge and base worked in maroon, all in wools using tent stitch with a little silk to the plinth of the bust, 26 1/2 x 18 in; 67 x 46 cm
This has faded evenly.The reverse is quite bright. Personally I prefer the faded shades! There is a little moth damage particularly to the maroon area at the bottom. The top of the piece also has some. There are no actual holes but the wool has been cut or chomped through. Hopefully you will see the damage from the photo. If not ask for detailed shots.
I went into Wikipedia which gave me the following information: This is the motto for Saint Andrews, Fife, Scotland. It is the motto of the Scottish clan McLennan since at least the sixteenth century, many claiming it was used by the clan since the thirteenth century. Also family motto for the Liversidge family and variants. ie. Liversage, Liversedge etc. who drew their name from Liversedge, West Yorkshire, UK
A number of leading slave trade historians including Chris Densmore at the Friends Historical Library and Jerome Handler of VSU's Slavery Image Collection. None identified it as abolitionist, and Martha Katz-Hyman of Colonial Williamsburg has researched abolitionist motifs (particularly English) in depth, and says "I suspect that this is not really an abolitionist motif but rather the use of a Negro head as a heraldic motif and that searching books of family crests will yield more information...I would want to know more about their families and their relationship to both the abolition movement and the slave trade before I would say whether or not these crests show support for abolition or were, rather, an indication of where their wealth came from."
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