Textile Fabrics / A Descriptive Catalogue of the Collection of Church-vestments, Dresses, Silk Stuffs, Needlework and Tapestries, forming that Section of the Museum

by Daniel Rock

725.

Altar-frontal of crimson velvet, ornamented on three sides with a scroll ornamentation in gold, and applied; and with seven armorial bearings all the same. French, 17th century. 6 feet 1 inch by 2 feet 6½ inches.

The armorial shield, as it stands at present, is—azure a cross ankred sable between two fleur-de-lis argent. On looking narrowly at the azure velvet on which these charges are worked, it is evident that something has been picked out, and, in its place, the sable-cross has been afterwards wrought in, thus explaining the anomaly of colour upon colour not in the original bearing. The applied ornaments in gold are in flowers and narrow gold lace, and of a rich and effective manner.