Description: Warp-faced plain weave silk brocaded with silk and metal thread, backed with plain weave silk and faced with plain weave silk; added border of woven silk and metal thread.
This is barely one quarter of a cover; it has been cut down the right hand side and across the bottom. The ground is light blue with 4 rows of birds, facing the opposite direction in alternate rows. There is a large plume from the bird's head and its wings are speckled. It sits on a small diagonal branch with blossom and a bud in front of it and a spray of flowers behind it. There is a butterfly above this spray. There is a vertical 'fish' motif between the birds and a schematic cloud motif below the 'fish'. Pink and green are the main colours but alternate birds and 'fish' have dark brown details. The metal thread is silver strip open S-wound on a pink silk core.
Backing: dark pink silk
Facing: bias cut black silk
Added Border: bias cut with black binding along the inner edge. Pink warp and yellow weft. There is a narrow border along the sides. The main pattern has a diagonal blue carnation, a diagonal pink carnation and a white bird with a blue tail. The metal thread is silver strip open S-wound on a yellow silk core.
There are four pronounced creases in this piece which indicate that the cloth was folded to form an envelope, possibly to cover a small book, such as a prayer book.