Italian, Genoa
Furnishing Fabric, 1700-1725
Silk, ciselé voided velvet, 113 x 62.2 cm (44 1/2 x 24 1/2 in.)
This early 18thC Italian textile panel is made from piecing six irregularly sized sections of silk velvet and sewing them together into a long rectangle. The voided and embossed fabric is dyed a deep blue/green color. The cut pile pattern shows stylized floral motifs. There is a single, large, flower head in the lower right and an upside down, large, poppy fruit with its stem and leaves in the upper center. There are other curving leaf and stem motifs and smaller flower heads that connect the disparate sections visually. The panel has a continuous border of short, thick gold fringe that is almost completely worn away on the left side.
Chapel
Commentary
Isabella Stewart Gardner kept meticulous records of many of her acquisitions. In keeping with this legacy, object information is continually being reviewed, updated, and enriched in order to give greater access to the collection.