7070.
Silk Damask; ground, purple; pattern, heraldic figures, birds, and oval floriations, in gold thread. Oriental, 14th century. 16 inches by 9 inches.
On an oval, floriated all round, and enclosing two lionesses addorsed
rampant regardant, are two wyvern-like eagles with curious feathered
tails, regardant; below, are two cockatoos addorsed regardant, all in
gold. The oval floriation is outlined with green. When new, this
stuff must have had a brave appearance, and shows a Persian tradition
about it.
7071.
Linen, embroidered in silk; ground, fine linen; pattern, a zigzag, alternating in light blue and brown. German, 15th century. 14 inches by 3-1/2 inches.
The zigzag may be termed dancette, and all over is parted into
lozenges, each lozenge charged with a cross made of mascles, and the
spaces between the brown and the blue zigzags, filled in with others of
a light brown coloured diapering.
7072.
Silk Damask; ground, violet or deep purple; pattern, angels with thuribles, and emblems of the Passion, in yellow and white. Florentine, late 14th century. 18-1/4 inches by 15-3/4 inches.
This truly artistic and well-executed stuff displays a row of angels
in girded albs, all flying one way, as with the left hand they swing
thuribles, and another row kneeling, each with a crown of thorns in his
hands, alternating, with a second set of angels, in another row, each
bearing before him a cross. All the angels are done in yellow, but with
face and hands white, and the whole ground is strewed with stars.
It is likely that this fine stuff was woven expressly for the purple vestments
worn in Passion time, at the end of Lent.
