The Indian Blackbuck

Needlework picture of a black buck
Martha Washington (Maker)
Silk embroidery (printwork) on s ...

Status

Not on view

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)

Geography Made - United StatesMade - United States

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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