4070.
Piece of Silk Brocade; purple; pattern, in gold and silver, a large vase out of which spring two ramifications and two eagles, one on each side, alternating with a floriation bearing at top a pomegranate seeded; in the narrow border at top and bottom the fleur-de-lis is the chief ornament, while the tasseled fringe, designed at bottom, shows that this texture must have been intended as a hanging for a frieze. Lyons, late 16th century. 12 feet by 1 foot 10 inches.
The occurrence of birds or animals of any sort in stuffs of the period
is unusual; and, in all likelihood, the last use of this piece was as a
hanging in some large hall.
4209, 4210.
Pieces of White Brocaded Silk. Lyons, 18th century, 1 foot 4 inches by 11 inches.
The manufacture of this stuff is rather remarkable, not so much for
that satin look, produced by flos-silk, in some parts of its design of flower-*bearing
branches, as by the way in which portions of it are thrown up
in little seed-pearls.
4216.
Piece of Needlework figured with a female saint at her prayers before a picture of our Saviour, and a crowd of men standing behind her near a belfry, in which are swinging two bells. Italian, early 15th century. 1 foot 4-1/2 inches by 11-1/2 inches.
By the costume this work would seem to have been done in Tuscany,
and it shows the bed-room of some saintly noble dame, wimpled and
clad in a crimson mantle embroidered with gold. At the foot of her
bed there is, wrought and diapered in gold, a praying desk on which lies
open a book in silver having a large M in red marked on its first page;
above is a picture of our Redeemer, known by His crossed glory, in the
