Altar Frontal thumbnail 1
Altar Frontal thumbnail 2
+63
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Not on display

Altar Frontal

1530-1569 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Embroidered velvet altar frontal, edged with gold fringes and lined with blue linen. Two widths, with narrower pieces at ends and fragments above, of crimson silk pile-on-pile velvet, with pattern in gold thread and gold loops, comprising broad curving stems, forming large pointed oval compartments, which contain lobed leaves and other plant forms.

Frontlet and side bands of red silk velvet embroidered with gold and silver thread and coloured silks in a design of grotesque scroll work including birds, griffin heads and leaf heads. On each side band a garland surrounds a shield of arms, superimposed over a crozier: on the left gules, five castels argent in cross; on the right azure, a winged hand holding a lopped stick, impailing argent three bends gules. Above the frontlet, a narrow band of red velvet embroidered in couched gold thread with an outline pattern of lopped sticks and scroll work.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Embroidered velvet with gold and silver thread, edged with gold fringe, lined with linen
Brief description
Altar frontal, embroidered velvet, 1530-1569, Spanish
Physical description
Embroidered velvet altar frontal, edged with gold fringes and lined with blue linen. Two widths, with narrower pieces at ends and fragments above, of crimson silk pile-on-pile velvet, with pattern in gold thread and gold loops, comprising broad curving stems, forming large pointed oval compartments, which contain lobed leaves and other plant forms.

Frontlet and side bands of red silk velvet embroidered with gold and silver thread and coloured silks in a design of grotesque scroll work including birds, griffin heads and leaf heads. On each side band a garland surrounds a shield of arms, superimposed over a crozier: on the left gules, five castels argent in cross; on the right azure, a winged hand holding a lopped stick, impailing argent three bends gules. Above the frontlet, a narrow band of red velvet embroidered in couched gold thread with an outline pattern of lopped sticks and scroll work.
Dimensions
  • Length: 104cm
  • Width: 220cm
Associated object
Collection
Accession number
T.371-1976

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
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