17.5.21 - Snails

When I was looking through the archives on the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic website, I found a few snail related artefacts such as this one: 

https://museumofwitchcraftandmagic.co.uk/object/snail-shells/

I decided to search for some medieval depictions of snails and most of the images were of giant snails in some kind of battle of beasts, but there was one particular image that was very unusual and charming...

 

...three snails climbing a ladder? Although I could not find the context of this image, I adored it so much that I wanted to make my next textile piece based on it.

These are my stitched outlines of the three snails which I did onto the velvet curtain fabric to give them more strength -

I used watercolour because I have found this successful on my early calico samples, and added some embroidery thread for extra detail and texture. I frayed the edges for a rough authentic feel and sewed them onto a piece of black fabric to keep them together as one piece. Im really happy with it because they are so strange yet cute - it makes me wonder if the original illustrator had ever seen a snail before or drew them based on what they had heard from other people and stories. They have quite cartoonish, expressive faces and I like their simple yet effective spiral form. 



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