Italian
Armorial Motif for Application with Design of a Flower, 17th century
Gilt-shot silk, embroidered with silk yarns and couched silver and gilt yarns
This piece of heraldry, placed on green background fabric, has a basic square shape with a slight extension on either side at the top. The outer portion is red and is adorned on the top and sides with twists of sage green rope with tassels at the ends. The inner portion appears to represent a crest embroidered in silver, gilt, and pastel threads. The top section is a pentagon shape and contains two embroidered pink flowers with a green sprig between them. The middle section is a band of blue and gilt embroidery set horizontally. The bottom section contains alternating gilt and blue embroidery set vertically.
Little Salon
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.