Embroidered Picture (Italy), 16th century

Panel, almost square, of elaborate embroidery in silk and gold on ground of dark green satin. Central oval with embroidered pictorial representation of the “Adoration of the Christ Child,” white background, figures in light colors and metal (worn center and upper right). Elaborate enframement of embroidered design in gold and colored silks. Strapwork pattern combined with flowers, fruit, birds, winged heads of cherubs, and sphinxes in profile. In each corner, an angelic figure, winged, bearing in right hand, a flower, in left, a censer. An embroidered frame in gold may be a later date.