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/397

 original design to let us know what it was; but, to judge by the ends of some wings, we have before us sufficient to see that, when entire, it must have consisted of large birds, and have been bold and telling.

8285.

Piece of Light Crimson Silk and Gold Tissue; the pattern is a diapering, all in gold, formed of a tree with a lioness sejant regardant beneath it, and a bird alighting on a flower, the centre of which is spotted with stamens of blue silk. North Italian, beginning of the 15th century.

This specimen is valuable both for its rich materials and the effective way in which the design is brought out.

8286.

Piece of Dark Purple Silk and Silver Tissue, relieved with crimson thrown up in very small portions. The pattern is a bold diapering of grotesque animals and birds, together with inscriptions affecting to be in Arabic. Very likely from the South of Spain, at the beginning of the 15th century. 24 inches by 19 inches.

Alike conspicuous for the richness of materials, as for the exuberance in its design, this specimen deserves particular attention. Spotted leopards and shaggy-haired dogs, all collared, and separated by bundles of wheat ears; birds of prey looking from out the foliage, hoopoes pecking at a human face, dragon-like snakes gracefully convoluted amid a Moorish kind of ornamentation, and imitated Arabic letters strung together without a meaning, show that the hand of the Christian workman was guided somewhat by Saracenic teachings, or wrought under the set purpose of passing off his work as of Oriental produce. But in this, as in so many other examples, a strong liking for heraldry is displayed by those pairs of wings conjoined and elevated, in the one instance eagle's, in the other wyvern's.