Toile imprimée pour broderie de perles (sans perles) – icône « Sainte Zoé »

“St. Zoe” — a waist-length image of the martyr with a cross in her joined hands; the overall tone is warm and muted.

What the picture shows

The saint stands frontally, her head slightly bowed. She wears a pale pearl-white headdress, from which a pale blue veil falls over her shoulders in soft folds. Chestnut strands show at either side of her face. The outer robe is terracotta pink, long and falling in folds. Both hands hold a small dark cross before her. The halo is large, laid in rows of gold, ochre and light blue. The beading is partial: beads cover the figure, the halo, the corner rosettes, the ornamental side band and the name cartouche, while the cream background with its printed scroll stays on the canvas. The frame keeps to brown and gold: two fan-shaped corner motifs above, narrow bands of a repeating motif at the sides, and a dark cartouche in a gold surround below.

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. 5,032
• Bead colours: 12
• Base: natural artist canvas

The piece is vertical. Twelve colours is a short list, so the pattern is within reach for a first icon. It is worth choosing beads of even calibre before starting — on the face this shows most.