7073.
Crimson Silk and Gold Brocade; ground, a diaper of crimson; pattern, an oval reticulation, in the meshes of which is an artichoke flower, all in gold. Genoese, 16th century. 16-3/4 inches by 9 inches.
The design of this rich stuff is well managed, and the diapering in
dull silk upon a satin ground throws out the gold brocading admirably;
the meshes which enclose the flowers are themselves formed of garlands.
7074.
Raised Crimson Velvet, damasked in gold; pattern, the artichoke and small floriations in gold. Genoese, 16th century. 15-3/4 inches by 11-1/2 inches.
A specimen of what, in its prime, must have been a fine stuff for
household decoration, though of such a nature as to have freely allowed
it to be employed for ecclesiastical purposes. It has seen rough service,
so that its pile is in places thread-bare, and its gold almost worn
away.
7075.
Raised Velvet on Gold Ground; pattern, a very large rose with broad border in raised crimson velvet, filled in with a bush of pomegranates, in very thin lines of raised crimson velvet; the rest of the ground is diapered all over with the pomegranate tree in very thin outline. Genoese, early 16th century. 2 feet 9 inches by 2 feet.
The gold thread was so poor that the precious metal has almost entirely
disappeared; but when all was new, this stuff must have looked
particularly grand. The large red rose, and the pomegranate, make it
seem as if it had been wrought, in the first instance, for either our
Henry the Seventh, or Henry the Eighth, after the English marriage of
Catherine of Arragon.
