Amanda Glendenning

Hour of Gold, Hour of Lead

NFS

Embroidered bust

This piece is a fantasy portrait of my grandfather as an alchemist. Alchemy is the art of transformation, of turning base metal into something precious, a process common to all the arts. In alchemy this process is known as “sub-Rosa”, or “under the rose”.

The embroidery design of serpentine plant stems was inspired by Italian Renaissance fabrics, and incorporates images of the alchemists’ rose and symbols for gold and lead.

The portrait was drawn from a tiny black and white photograph of my grandfather taken when he was in his twenties. I never knew him, so this piece is my memorial to him, Joseph H. Harriman.

Materials and process:

Portrait in petit point stitched through layers of silk onto canvas and padded.

Mantle in deep red silk-satin with appliqué stems, coloured and metallic hand embroidery in a variety of stitches and padded appliqué roses. Padded metallic-patterned fabric border with silk chiffon overlay.

Pale green silk cap, under stiffened black linen hat with petit point border embroidered with alchemical symbols and rose.

Petit point ruff in coloured and metallic silks on fine canvas, with vintage trim.

Padded and embroidered silk horns with frayed gold organdie overlay embellished with gold coloured and lead tokens, metal escutcheon and jewelled cross.