Bordado de Salamanca (España) c. 1600-1650

Embroidered cloth from Salamanca (Spain) in quadrangular format. The central motif is formed by a cross (or star) where each of its four arms has the shape of an equilateral triangle. This motif is surrounded by four figures, each one of them in the form of a curved line that frame the cross and match its contour. This whole central set, with decorative variants, can be compared with pieces from Salamanca from the first half of the 17th century, such as the wedding offering cloth kept in Madrid by the Instituto Valencia de don Juan (see bibliography for reference). In turn, the central composition is surrounded by four borders that form concentric squares and give consistency to the whole. The innermost one presents a vegetal motif that is repeated; the three outermost ones, with the same fine decorative motif between them, show a repeated interlaced form, somewhere between a phytological theme and a zoomorphic appearance. We do not know why the outermost of these three borders has an inverted decorative arrangement with respect to the other two. Good preservation. Measurements: 19 x 19 cm. Reference Bibliography González Mena, M.ª Ángeles: CATALOGUE OF EMBROIDERIES. Valencia de Don Juan Institute. Madrid, 1974, pp. 184-185, fig. 56.