Toile imprimée pour broderie de perles (sans perles) – icône « Saint Matthieu »

“St. Matthew” — a waist-length image of the apostle and evangelist, his right hand raised in blessing and a Gospel book beside him.

What the picture shows

The apostle is shown as an elderly man with grey hair and a short beard, turned slightly to the left. He wears a pink-red himation thrown over one shoulder, with a green chiton in broad folds beneath. His right hand is raised in blessing, his left lowered. To his right, on a low ledge, stands a Gospel book in a red binding with green ornament and a gold corner-piece. The halo is large, worked in rings of gold and amber. The background is a pale cream with printed leaf scrollwork, surrounded by a brown-and-gold ornamental frame with fan-shaped upper corners and a cartouche below. The beading is partial: beads cover the figure, the garments, the book, the halo and the frame, while the face, hands and background stay printed.

What you get

• Natural artist canvas with the full-colour pattern printed on it — no chart to follow on a screen
• Colour key for Czech Preciosa beads
• Beads, needles and thread are chosen separately

Specifications

• Finished size: 170×230 mm (6.7×9.06 in)
• Beads needed: approx. 4,884
• Bead colours: 11
• Base: natural artist canvas

The piece is vertical, the size of a small household icon. It suits a name-day icon for a Matthew. It uses the fewest colours of any pattern in this series — eleven — so the colour key is simple and the work moves faster.