The Indian Blackbuck
Label Text
Identified in George Washington’s probate inventory as “The Likeness of a Deer,” this striking needlework actually depicts an exotic blackbuck (a species of antelope), imported from India to France and displayed in the royal French menagerie at Versailles. The tiny stitches imitate the engraving on which the embroidery was based.
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Date1790-1799
After
Jean-Baptiste Oudry
(French, 1686 - 1755)
Possible maker
Martha Washington
(American, 1731 - 1802)
Possible maker
Ellen Sharples
(British, 1769 - 1849)
Medium/TechniqueSilk embroidery (printwork) on silk, wood, gilt, glass
DimensionsOverall (Frame): 12 5/8 in. x 14 3/4 in. x 1 1/2 in. (32.07 cm x 37.47 cm x 3.81 cm)
Other (Silk H x W): 9 5/8 in. x 12 1/16 in. (24.45 cm x 30.64 cm)
Other (Wood panel H x W x D): 10 1/8 in. x 12 1/8 in. x 1/2 in. (25.72 cm x 30.8 cm x 1.27 cm)
Credit LineAcquired through the generosity of The Founders, Washington Committee for Historic Mount Vernon and Gift: Jess and Grace Pavey Fund, 2018
Conservation courtesy of The Founders, Washington Committee Endowment Fund
Object numberW-5565
DescriptionFull-length portrait of a deer-like animal with two long, wavy horns, striding on small patch of grass toward viewer’s right, head turned slightly in the opposite direction, toward viewer. The embroidery is executed in very fine black silk thread on white silk ground, using straight stitches to imitate the lines and dots of an engraving, a type of work known as printwork. The image is copies from an engraving by Jean-Baptiste Oudry, titled “Gazel,” in a portfolio, Receuil de Divers Animaux de la Chasse, issued in Paris in the 1740; the engraving is in turn based on Oudry’s 1739 oil painting, Indian Blackbuck, which depicted an exotic antelope from the Indian subcontinent, displayed in Louis XV’s menagerie at Versailles. The embroidery is housed in its original gilt frame.
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