Roundel
Unknown Artist
15th and 17th century
Medium
linen, silk, and gilt metal thread appliquéd to silk cut velvet embroidered with silk and gilt metal thread in padded couching and couching of gilt metal strips.
Dimensions
54 x 42.5 cm (21 1/4 x 16 3/4 in)
Classification
Textiles-Embroidered
Culture
Italian or Spanish
Department
Robert Lehman Collection
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
Accession Number
1975.1.2444
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite *Roundel* from the Lehman Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art the opulent embroidery traditions of 15th- and 17th-century Italy or Spain. Measuring 54 x 42.5 cm, it features linen, silk, and gilt threads appliquéd onto silk velvet, then richly embroidered with silk and more gilt metal in techniques like padded couching andching of metal strips. These methods created a luxurious, raised, shimmering surface that caught the light, evoking the grandeur of Renaissance and Baroque luxury textiles. Roundels like this were prized decorative elements, often adorning ecclesiasti...