Sheet edge

Decorated with repeated motifs. The pomegranate that springs from a heart, is enclosed by two opposing tendrils on the two sides. In the upper curve of the foliage is a pink, in the lower one a blossoming peony. On one of the lower tendrils of the foliage stand rampant goats or chamois. Above them there is a crane standing on one leg, and clutching a stone in the claw of its other foot. It is said that the crane stands guard in this position, and in the event of danger, warns his fellow cranes by dropping the stone. It is very rare to find animal motifs in late- Renaissance Hungarian embroidery. These were probably modelled on Western European embroidery or on Hungarian coats of arms of the nobility. Under the middle motif is a later addition: a three-pointed crown and the initials GBB, embroidered in cross- stitch. A similar piece, although with a more simple decoration, can be found in the Vychochoslovenska Muzeum in Kassa. This linen border belonged to the Máriássy family in Northern Hungary.