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Hanging

16th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Embroidered velvet hanging made up from five vertical panels of light green patterned velvet and four vertical polychrome, or nué, orphreys, each 14cm wide, ornamented with leafy scrolls, flowers, cherub heads, leaf masks and birds, each orphrey including four raised circular frames containing half length figures, which include: Christ blessing with an orb, Saint Andrew with a cross, Saint Barbara with a tower and a palm, Saint Apollonia with pincers and a book, an unidentified figure, Saint Ursula with an arrow, Saint Paul with a sword, Saint John with a chalice, Saint Thomas with a set square, a saint with a mitre, cope, cross and book, Saint Margaret with a cross, Saint Cecilia with an organ, Saint Lucy with a sword through her neck and palm, Saint Catherine with a sword and book, Saint Francis with a stigmata and Saint James with a staff and a book.

The velvet has a pattern of knotted leafy twigs arranged in squares with light green cut and uncut pile on a tabby ground of buff silk. The hanging is lined with pink linen and has long green and silver fringe at the bottom and short green and silver fringes on the other three sides.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Embroidered velvet, silk, linen, silver fringe
Brief description
Hanging, embroidered velvet, possibly Flanders or France, 16th century
Physical description
Embroidered velvet hanging made up from five vertical panels of light green patterned velvet and four vertical polychrome, or nué, orphreys, each 14cm wide, ornamented with leafy scrolls, flowers, cherub heads, leaf masks and birds, each orphrey including four raised circular frames containing half length figures, which include: Christ blessing with an orb, Saint Andrew with a cross, Saint Barbara with a tower and a palm, Saint Apollonia with pincers and a book, an unidentified figure, Saint Ursula with an arrow, Saint Paul with a sword, Saint John with a chalice, Saint Thomas with a set square, a saint with a mitre, cope, cross and book, Saint Margaret with a cross, Saint Cecilia with an organ, Saint Lucy with a sword through her neck and palm, Saint Catherine with a sword and book, Saint Francis with a stigmata and Saint James with a staff and a book.

The velvet has a pattern of knotted leafy twigs arranged in squares with light green cut and uncut pile on a tabby ground of buff silk. The hanging is lined with pink linen and has long green and silver fringe at the bottom and short green and silver fringes on the other three sides.
Dimensions
  • Framed & glazed in glass weight: 55kg (Note: The hanging is no longer framed and glazed)
  • Length: 123cm
  • Width: 161cm
Weighed for the Clothworkers' Company project - 4/4/2011
Object history
Featured in exhibition 'Objects: the V&A Collects', 1974-1978, 31 May - 13 August 1978.
Subjects depicted
Collection
Accession number
T.379-1976

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
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