Remarkably, there was another book of hers in the house, which obviously belonged to my Dad.
This was totally different, although the embroidery theme was a constant, and is about the creation of a series of 5 or 6 related embroideries from the late 15th century in France (they are real). They feature different depictions of noble ladies and extremely phallic unicorns, and the book is a fictionalised dramatisation of their creation in Paris, where they were painted by a sex obsessed painter for a wealthy family, and subsequent conversion from painting to tapestries in Brussels.
Each chapter is told by a different member of the commissioning family (Paris) or the weaving family (Brussels) although the painter is the central figure and he seduces daughters of each family.
Less substantial perhaps than 719, but great fun to read, and the tapestries are all included in the paperback version.
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