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/402



head and waist joined on to the body of a lioness passant cowed, that is, with its tail hanging down between its legs. In this specimen may be detected an early form of the artichoke pattern, which afterwards became such a favourite.

8296.

Piece of Silk; ground, dark red; pattern, a yellow diapering of somewhat four-sided figures enclosing an ornament of a double ellipsis. South Spanish, 15th century. 10-3/4 inches by 7 inches.

8297.

Piece of Crimson Silk; pattern, in green, of open arabesque spread in wide divisions. Southern Spain, late 14th century. 18 inches by 7 inches.

The design of this valuable piece is very good, and must have had a pleasing effect. From the way in which the cross is introduced by combinations of the ornamentation and slight attempts at showing the letter M for Maria—the Blessed Virgin Mary, it would seem that it was the work of a Christian hand well practised in the Saracenic style of pattern-drawing.

8298.

Piece of Silk; ground, crimson; pattern, a yellow diapering of a rather peculiar form. Spanish, late 14th century. 18 inches by 12 inches.

Rich in its tones, this specimen may have been designed under the influence of Moorish teachings; it is, however, very agreeable.

8299.

Piece of Silk Tissue; the pattern, a large raised diaper, which consists of a centre, in red silk, representing the web of the geometric spider, with the insect resting in the middle, enclosed within the branches of a conventional tree,