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This embroidered panel encompasses a painted portrayal of the Annunciation, showcasing a blend of silk and metallic threads, silver, gilt sequins, and narrow strips of pleated silver sheet on a luxurious hand-woven brocade background interwoven with metallic threads. The resulting design, inspired by the Rococo era, achieves a remarkable harmony between the embroidery and painted elements. The intricate sequins, crafted by fashioning small silver rings and flattening them into disks with central holes, exhibit some tarnishing along with traces of gilt due to age.
It seems this panel underwent re-backing in the 19th century, potentially involving a partial rework of about 20% of the embroidery, particularly in the reds and beige sections. As a piece of historic textile art, it bears signs of age-related imperfections: losses in some silver pleated strips, particularly around the dove and at the composition's bottom, occasional missing sequins, and deterioration of the dove's embroidered surface. The brocade background displays minor splits from aging, with sporadic light staining.
The painted sections reveal signs of wear and loss from historical folding and rolling. Detailed images highlight most of these imperfections. Despite these issues, the panel retains a substantial visual appeal and integrity. The colors remain vivid overall, showing minimal fading or darkening. It measures 43 inches x 22 inches (109 cm x 56 cm).