A SHARED LOVE: Elizabethan Decorative Devices in Gardens & Textiles with Stephen Gallagher

The invention of the Gutenberg printing press in around 1439 saw the spread of accessible decorative motifs for use by all forms of artisans. New combinations of decorative details were now used in interior and exterior decoration by metal smiths, painters, masons, ceramicists, embroiderers and garden designers.

This talk will explore the relationships of the decorative arts to Elizabethan garden design and the impact of new world flora upon Elizabethan expression.

STEPHEN GALLAGHER is a Melbourne based artist, whose work is informed by the Elizabethan era, and uses contemporary materials to realise his designs.

Gallagher received the Ethel Oates Scholarship 2001 from The Embroiderers Guild, Victoria which enabled him to study their Elizabethan embroideries in English collections. He is currently Curator at RMIT School of Art Galleries.

detail of a bodice said to be made for QEI, commissioned by Countess of Essex, Lettice Knollys