Page:Textile fabrics; a descriptive catalogue of the collection of church-vestments, dresses, silk stuffs, needle-work and tapestries, forming that section of the Museum (IA textilefabricsde00soutrich).pdf/193



so soft and well assorted, and there is such a thorough Chinese taste displayed in the choice of tints—tints almost unknown to European dyers—that the eye is instantly pleased with the production. The embroidery itself is almost entirely well raised.

839.

Piece of Velvet Hanging; ground, crimson velvet; pattern, large conventional flowers and branches in yellow applied silk. Italian, 17th century. 6 feet 4 inches by 1 foot 8 inches.

This piece is rather a curiosity for the way in which its design is done. On the plain length of velvet a pattern was cut, and the void spaces were filled in with yellow silk, and the edges covered with a rather broad and flat cording, and the whole—that is, velvet and silk—gummed on to a lining of strong canvas, having the cord only stitched to it.

840.

Piece of Applied Work; ground, crimson velvet; pattern, large conventional flowers in yellow satin. Italian, 17th century. 2 feet 6 inches by 2 feet 3 inches.

Here the same system is followed, but the ground is yellow satin uncut, the crimson velvet being cut out so as to make it look the ground, and the real ground the design, both are, as above, gummed on coarse canvas.

841.

Piece of Velvet Hanging; ground, yellow silk; pattern, scrolls and flowers in applied crimson velvet. Italian, 17th century. 6 feet 4 inches by 1 foot 9 inches.

Executed exactly as No. 840. In all likelihood these three pieces served as hangings to be put at open windows on festival days—a custom yet followed in Italy.