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/299

 4644.

Cradle-quilt; ground, green satin, embroidered with armorial bearings, the four Evangelists, and flowers, all in coloured silks, and dated 1612. German. 2 feet 5 inches by 1 foot 9 inches.

Within a narrow wreath of leaves and flowers there are two shields, of which the first bears gules a wheel or, surmounted by a closed helmet, having its mantlings of or and gules, and on a wreath gules a wheel or as a crest; the second, azure, a cross couped argent between a faced crescent and a ducal coronet, both or, and all placed in pile, surmounted by a closed helmet having its mantlings of or and azure, and on a wreath or, a demy bear proper with a cross argent on its breast, crowned with a ducal coronet or, and holding in its paws a faced crescent or. At each of the four corners is the emblem of an evangelist with his name, and shown as a human personage nimbed and coming out of a flower, with his appropriate emblem upholding an open volume which he has in his hands, thus calling to mind those nursery rhymes:—

"Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, Guard the bed I lie upon," &c;

which seem to be as well known in Germany as they were, and yet are, in England. See "Church of Our Fathers," t. iii. p. 230.

4645.

Cradle-quilt; centre, crimson silk, embroidered with flowers in coloured silk, mostly outlined with gold thread, and here and there sprinkled with gold ornamentations, and surrounded by a broad satin quilting edged with a gold lace-like border. German, late 17th century. 2 feet 7 inches by 2 feet 2 inches.

The cradle-cloths, or quilts, are of common occurrence, and afford occasions for much elegance of design.