Main Bead Embroidery Kit Spartacus

“Spartacus” is a still life of a gladiator’s gear, gathered inside a stone arched niche. The red cloak, the helmet, the sword and the scroll are arranged as if the fighter has just stepped out and will soon be back.

What the picture shows

The composition is built vertically. At the top, a deep red fringed cloak hangs on a wooden wall; behind it a sword with a pale blade and a coiled whip cross each other, and spear shafts rise higher still. Below, on a stone bench, lies a bronze helmet with the visor down, next to a rounded shield, leather straps and a yellowed scroll with lettering. The arch is framed by masonry of large pale stones. The whole palette is warm and muted: the brick red of the cloak, the ochre of the stone, bronze and dark brown shadows. Beadwork covers the cloak, the helmet, the weapons, the shield and the stonework of the arch, while the depth of the niche and the wooden wall stay as print on the canvas.

What is in the kit

• Artist canvas with the full-colour pattern printed on it — no chart to follow on a screen
• Czech Preciosa beads, 20 colours
• Beading needles
• Instructions and finishing guide

Specifications

• Finished size: 300×450 mm (11.8×17.7 in)
• Beads: approx. 18,932
• Bead colours: 20
• Difficulty: above average
• Base: artist canvas

The piece is vertical with a distinctly dark colour key, so it works in a study, a living room, or the room of a teenager keen on history. Gallery finishing is possible — the canvas stretches over a bar and hangs without a frame or mount.