synneful heartsease miroir embroideries glasse anglie scrollwork reginam handiwork parr regi joye embroidery bodleian francie embroidered interlacing stitching octavo bookbinding daye needlework braid henrico vellum 1544 bindings rulership dedications monogram
the miroir or glasse of the sinful soul
The Miroir or Glasse of the Synneful Soul - wikipedia The Miroir or Glasse of the Synneful Soul Jump to : navigation , search This article relies largely or entirely on a single source . Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page . Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources . ( March 2014 ) The embroidered front cover of The Miroir or Glasse of the Synneful Soul The Miroir or Glasse of the Synneful Soul is a manuscript book that was given to Catherine Parr by her stepdaughter , the future Elizabeth I of England in 1544 , when Elizabeth was eleven years old . Elizabeth translated the work from French verse into English prose and wrote the manuscript with her own hand , dedicating it with the words , `` From Assherige , the last daye of the yeare of our Lord God 1544 ... To our most noble and vertuous Quene Katherin , Elizabeth her humble daughter wisheth perpetuall felicitie and everlasting joye , '' Elizabeth probably also embroidered the bookbinding . This book is now owned by the Bodleian Library . Contents ( hide ) 1 Prayers of Queen Katherine Parr 2 Embroidery 2.1 The Miroir or Glasse of the Synneful Soul 2.2 Prayers of Queen Katherine Parr 2.3 Similarities 3 See also 4 Notes Prayers of queen Katherine Parr ( edit ) Prayers of Queen Katherine Parr A second embroidered manuscript book , entitled Prayers of Queen Katherine Parr , is also attributed to Elizabeth as a gift to the queen dated 20 December 1545 . It contains prayers or meditations the queen had originally composed in English , which the princess had translated into French , Latin and Italian , handwritten in the princess 's hand on vellum . The inscription reads `` Precationes ... ex piis scriptoribus per nobiliss. et pientiss . D. Catharinam Anglie , Francie , Hibernieq . reginam collecte , et per D. Elizabetam ex anglico converse . '' It is , moreover , dedicated to Elizabeth 's father Henry VIII , the wording being , `` Illustrissimo Henrico octavo , Anglie , Francie , Hibernieq . regi , '' etc . Embroidery ( edit ) The Miroir or Glasse of the Synneful Soul ( edit ) The Miroir or Glasse of the Synneful Soul measures about 7 '' by 5 '' and has an identical design on both covers , worked in blue silk in a tapestry stitch over canvas with interlacing scrollwork of gold and silver braid that joins the queen 's initials K.P. in the center . Each corner of the front depicts a heartsease ( Viola ) in purple , green and yellow silk with gold thread . The back cover is well worn ; its corner embroidery is difficult to identify , but was probably floral . Prayers of queen Katherine Parr ( edit ) The second book is smaller than the first , only 53⁄4 '' by 4 `` , and is also bound in canvas . The background is red silk worked in a similar stitching method to the Miroir cover . Most of the design is a large monogram in blue silk and silver thread that contains the letters K , A , F , H , and R . The K refers to Katherine and the other letters probably signify Latin initials for rulership ( actual or claimed ) of England , France and Ireland . Like the first book , heartsease flowers decorate the corners . The back cover is worn beyond recognition . Similarities ( edit ) A heartsease , the flower depicted in the corners of both book covers Both book dedications declare that the written content is the work of Elizabeth . Although no written record definitively affirms the tradition that Elizabeth also worked these embroideries , experts affirm that both covers are the handiwork of the same craftswoman . They use similar heavy grades of silk and silver thread , with thematically similar motifs and similar stitching . Elizabeth is known to have made and embroidered a shirt for her brother Edward when she was six years old . She was an accomplished needlewoman in an era when needlework was held in high esteem . Cyril Davenport particularly notes the canvas covers as evidence that these embroideries were worked in Elizabeth 's own hand . `` Canvas bindings were rare -- most of the embroidered work on books of that period were splendid works on velvet ... instead of very elementary braid work . '' Canvas is easier to embroider than velvet and there could have been little other reason to use a cheap material for a royal gift , except to facilitate a child 's handiwork . See also ( edit ) English Reformation Manuscript culture Miniature ( illuminated manuscript ) Speculum literature Notes ( edit ) ^ Jump up to : Cyril Davenport , English Embroidered Bookbindings , Chapter 2 , from Project Gutenberg. ( 1 ) Accessed 21 January 2008 . Jump up ^ `` Guide to English Embroidered Bookbindings in the British Library ''. ( 2 ) Accessed 21 January 2008 . Archived January 12 , 2008 , at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Miroir_or_Glasse_of_the_Synneful_Soul&oldid=750055821 '' Categories : Embroidery English Reformation English manuscripts 16th - century manuscripts Bodleian Library collection Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Articles needing additional references from March 2014 All articles needing additional references Talk Contents About Wikipedia Français Edit links This page was last edited on 17 November 2016 , at 16 : 20 . Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply . By using this site , you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy . Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation , Inc. , a non-profit organization . About Wikipedia