Italian
Panels of a Silk Velvet Furnishing Fabric from a Wall Hanging Border, 1550-1600
Silk velvet, cut; embroidered with couched silk cord and blue silk yarn
These long strips of brown and green silk velvet needlework have a regularly inverting element made up of branch and leaf arabesques running vertically between guard bands containing undulating leafy vines. The ends of each panel were cut and the sides bound with a cord of ivory silk decorated with blue and silk yarns.
Dutch Room
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.