Europe, probably France, ca. 18th to 19th century CE. A beautiful embroidered depiction of Mary and Jesus surrounded by an embroidered frame with four pale, creamy yellow flowers and their vine-like stems. Mary wears red and blue clothing with a white veil; her blonde hair flows freely underneath the veil. She holds her Son, who has curly blonde hair, a chubby body, and angelic features, in a realistic and obviously loving pose. Size of cloth: 5.3" W x 6.5" H (13.5 cm x 16.5 cm); size in frame: 7.35" W x 8.6" H (18.7 cm x 21.8 cm).

The embroidery is done on a beautiful piece of silk that fades from cream to pale blue, replicating the color of the sky above the figures' heads. This item was part of a scapular or scapulary, a piece of cloth primarily worn by Roman Catholics to show their devotion to the figures depicted on it. The frame may have been added to this later but seems closely contemporary based on its fading; it is large for a scapular with the frame and there are some signs that the stitching was added later to the initial rectangle. Embroidery was valued by European nobility from the medieval period on, and by the 18th century, it had become both a professional and amateur pursuit - with higher class young women expected to become skilled at embroidery as part of her education. The fine skill of this piece suggests that it was done professionally, made to be sold to someone wishing to show their devotion to the Virgin and Child.

Provenance: Ex-private East Coast USA collection

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#119146

Some fading to colors of cloth and tiny areas of staining/wear to edges.