An extraordinary embroidered box, made in England in 1659 and now preserved within The Burrell Collection in Glasgow, has inspired a beautiful new embroidery project by Tracy A. Franklin. Through our first collaboration with The Burrell Collection, we are delighted to bring a scene on this remarkable embroidery back to life.
The Burrell Collection, Glasgow
Situated within the beautiful surroundings of Pollok Country Park in Glasgow, The Burrell Collection is home to an extraordinary collection of art and historic objects.
The collection was assembled by Glasgow shipping merchant Sir William Burrell (1861–1958), who devoted more than 75 years of his life to collecting works of art from across the world.
Together with his wife, Constance, Lady Burrell, he built an extraordinary collection encompassing some 9,000 objects, including medieval tapestries, stained glass, Chinese ceramics, paintings, sculpture and historic textiles.
In 1944, Sir William and Lady Burrell gifted their collection to the City of Glasgow, ensuring that these remarkable objects could be preserved and enjoyed by future generations.
The museum opened in its purpose-built home in Pollok Country Park in 1983. Following an extensive refurbishment, it reopened in March 2022, providing new opportunities for visitors to explore the collection and discover the stories behind its extraordinary objects.
For those of us with a passion for historic needlework, The Burrell Collection holds particular significance. Among its treasures are more than 300 examples of British embroidery, collected and cared for by Sir William and Lady Burrell over many decades.
We have been fortunate to enjoy a longstanding relationship with Rebecca Quinton, Curator of European Dress and Textiles for Glasgow Life Museums, who has welcomed The Crewel Work Company and our guests for tours and special viewing sessions over many years.
Through this collaboration, we are delighted to share a small part of this remarkable collection with our wider needlework community.
You can discover more about the museum and its collections at The Burrell Collection.
An Extraordinary Embroidered Box from 1659
One particularly remarkable object is a 17th century embroidered box belonging to The Burrell Collection in Glasgow. Richly decorated with biblical and classical scenes, flowers, animals and birds, it offers a fascinating glimpse into the imagination and extraordinary skill of embroiderers working more than 350 years ago.
Through our collaboration with The Burrell Collection and Glasgow Museums, we have had the privilege of inviting specialist traditional embroiderer Tracy A. Franklin to recreate one of its beautiful embroidered panels.
The result is the Burrell Collection 1659 Panel: an exact recreation of the decorative panel from the drop front of the original box, featuring a kingfisher, a squirrel, a butterfly and an abundance of colourful flowers and foliage.
Constructed from wood, the original box has a hinged lid, a drop front and eight drawers, four of which are concealed. Its surfaces are covered with panels of cream silk satin, richly embroidered in coloured silks and finished around the edges with decorative metal thread braid.
Across its different faces are elaborate biblical and classical scenes. The lid depicts the Sacrifice of Isaac, while the front shows Daedalus watching the fall of his son Icarus, alongside a huntsman and hounds pursuing a stag.
On one side, the Judgement of Paris unfolds, with Paris presenting the golden apple to Aphrodite while Hera and Athena look on, watched by Eros.
Yet among these grand narrative scenes are the smaller details that give the box so much of its charm.
Beautifully worked flowers, leaves, birds, animals and insects fill the spaces between the figures, creating a wonderfully rich and imaginative embroidered world.
It is from one of these delightful decorative panels that Tracy has drawn the inspiration for her recreation.
Recreating the Original with Tracy A. Franklin
Working directly from the original embroidery, Tracy has faithfully recreated the decorative panel from the drop front of the box, preserving its charming arrangement of animals, insects, flowers and foliage.
A vibrant blue kingfisher, holding a small fish in its beak, sits at one end of the design. At its centre, a charming brown squirrel rests among the flowers, while a beautifully coloured butterfly completes the scene.
Surrounding them are delicate leaves, blossoms and foliage, all recreated in a carefully selected palette of fine silk threads.
Tracy has worked to preserve the character of the original embroidery, making considered changes to the stitches where appropriate to bring the design to life for modern stitchers.
The project is worked in DeVere No. 72 silk threads, in nineteen carefully selected shades used to recreate the beautiful shading and delicate details of the original.
Throughout the panel, students will explore a wonderful variety of traditional techniques, including Split Stitch, Satin Stitch, Stem Stitch, French Knots, Long & Short Stitch, Bullion Knots and Turkey Stitch.
The finished panel is a celebration of the original embroiderer's artistry, interpreted through Tracy's exceptional skill and understanding of traditional needlework.
Join Tracy at Askham Hall
The Burrell Collection 1659 Panel is one of the special projects being taught at our Autumn Intensive Retreat at Askham Hall in October 2026.
During the retreat, students will have the opportunity to study this extraordinary piece of historic needlework under Tracy's expert guidance, exploring the silk embroidery techniques that bring its delightful characters and flowers to life.
For those unable to join us this autumn, Tracy will be returning to Askham Hall in March 2027, offering another opportunity to experience this beautiful project.
The completed embroidery can be framed or incorporated into the lid of a box, creating a treasured piece of needlework inspired by the original seventeenth-century object.
We will also be offering students the opportunity to continue their journey with Tracy, recreating the remaining embroidered panels of the original box as a future project.
We are enormously grateful to Rebecca Quinton and the team at Glasgow Museums for their generosity in providing access to this remarkable artefact, and to Tracy for the extraordinary skill and creativity she has brought to its interpretation.
Through this project, we hope that the artistry of the original embroiderer will continue to inspire stitchers for generations to come.
