Masterpiece, from Master Piece, Objet de Maîtrise,
Beautiful art, stitch by careful stitch. I am in awe.
And because WordPress didn’t include any of the beautiful pictures in the reblog – grrr – here’s the first one that made my jaw drop:
Excerpt from Walter Cahn, Masterpieces: Chapters on the History of an Idea, Princeton, 1979
“The exercise of a profession during the Middle Ages necessitated admission to a guild or corporation, made manifest by the candidate’s recognition as a master. This step marked the end of a period of apprenticeship, often followed by a further stage of training as a journeyman. The ultimate moment in this process of qualification was obviously of the greatest importance to the young artisan and to the corporation alike. The former depended on its successful outcome for the possibility of earning his livelihood. For the latter, a number of contradictory pressures were involved. It was desirable for the collective prosperity and welfare that a sufficient number of new master be admitted. The new arrivals assured the continuity of an enterprise and the material security of the household following the death of the former head. In good…
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