Description
Fair Rosamund cross stitch pattern is a replica of a 1917 literary painting by British artist John William Waterhouse. The painting was inspired by Rosamund Clifford, the mistress of King Henry II of England.
The Story
Rosamund Clifford was a real person and famed for her beauty, but over the centuries her liaisons with the King have attained a somewhat mythical status (no social media required) and many legends and stories have emerged from the musings of a captivated public.
Waterhouse’s painting is one interpretation of those folktales and depicts the beautiful Rosamund on her knees, yearning for the return of her lover. The king has hidden her in a secret room that lies inside a cryptic maze, each night he follows a long piece of thread to meet with her.
The jealous Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine has uncovered their hiding place and can be seen in the painting emerging from the curtains with the long thread at her feet. Legend states that the queen will later offer Rosamund a choice — drink a chalice of poison or die at the point of her dagger (she chooses the poison). But in the real world, King Henry discarded Rosamund around aged 30 and lived out her remaining days in a nunnery before dying at age 36.
The Project
This is a very large, full coverage cross stitch that measures 76.2cm x 103.8cm (420 x 572 stitches) when stitched on 14 count Aida cloth. We’ve rated this project ChallengingPLUS as the project is massive and requires 196 different DMC colours.
We think you’ll have lots of fun stitching each of the painting elements — open window to the palace gardens, painting of 12th century royalty, embroidered drapes, and chequered floor tiles — and be even more thrilled by how much the project resembles the original artwork.
PATTERN KEEPER: for a better stitching experience, look for the extra chart in your download pack that has been specially formatted for the Pattern Keeper App. Due to the size and complexity of pattern, we recommend using PK to manage this project.
The Artist
John William Waterhouse was an English painter who lived between 1849 and 1917. He was famous for his paintings of Arthurian legend, mythology, and literary characters.
His paintings are incredibly lifelike, and we adore his natural backgrounds of wildflowers and mysterious water pools. Check out more cross stitch patterns inspired by John William Waterhouse here in our store.
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