Sophie Coryndon – Nereid – Sage – Weave

This design has been adapted from the ground of an extremely intricate embroidery from c.1500. Woven in the richest Italian cloth of gold by nuns for the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers, the Fishmongers’ Pall, as it is now known, is a true textile treasure. Across its four side panels are wonderfully detailed depictions of mermaids, saints and angels. Sophie and Lulu initially encountered the piece while visiting the Opus Anglicanum exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. Entranced by its magical detail, Sophie drew the woven structure of the ground texture.

Lulu chose to recreate the design using one of Soane’s favourite combinations, cotton, flax and viscose, allowing the viscose to give the design an appropriate lustre, while the flax lends the fabric a usable weight.

The title for this reversible design is suitably nautical, with Nereid being a term from Greek mythology for a sea nymph.