This exceptional textile is a rare and significant example of late Elizabethan or early Jacobean needlework, dating from approximately 1575–1625. Executed in a meticulous silk tent-stitch (petit point) on a linen ground, the valance showcases the peak of domestic professional embroidery in England. Measuring 82 inches (208 cm) in length, it retains its original border—a remarkable survival for a domestic textile of this age.

The design features a sophisticated arrangement of naturalistic motifs, including scrolling flora and birds, which were hallmarks of the era's decorative vocabulary. Its aesthetic and technical execution draw direct parallels to world-class museum specimens, specifically the "sweet purses" housed at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (43.1075) and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (29.23.15). Furthermore, the valance shares a stylistic lineage with the famous Oxburgh Hangings (c. 1570) at the V&A London, famously associated with Mary, Queen of Scots and Bess of Hardwick. Despite nearly four centuries of existence, the textile remains in exceptional condition with only light, even wear.

‍