Westminster Abbey Garden Bird Silk Habotai Scarf

DESIGNER'S NOTES

This exquisite Fox & Chave silk habotai scarf features a design of British common birds such as Robins and Blue Tits, perched among flowers and branches and is derived from an illuminated manuscript from the collection of Westminster Abbey.

Illuminated manuscripts from medieval England were highly decorative, meticulously hand-crafted texts, often featuring intricate floral borders interwoven with birds and fantastical creatures that symbolised spiritual ideas or aspects of nature.

These borders, known as marginalia not only framed the text with vivid colour and delicate line work but also provided a visual commentary that enhanced the manuscript's themes and devotional impact.

Westminster Abbey, a major cultural and spiritual centre in medieval England, housed and commissioned many such manuscripts, often adorned with opulent gold leaf and elaborate illuminations, reflecting the grandeur and religiosity of the era, combining artistry with piety and exemplifying the skill and devotion of the scribes and illuminators who crafted them.

COLOURS

STYLING

A Fox & Chave habotai silk scarf can be worn with the classic knot style or a pussycat bow. You can even create a shawl effect by knotting two scarves together behind your neck and allowing them to drape over your shoulders. More scarf styling ideas are available in this wonderful How to Tie a Scarf book.