Fragment of a Stole with Four Saints Probably Southern Netherlands or Northern France, 16th century Embroidery in silk and metal threads on velvet This embroidered fragment, likely once part of a liturgical stole, depicts four standing figures beneath arched architectural canopies: the Virgin and Child, Saint John the Evangelist, Saint James the Greater, and Saint Bartholomew. The figures are worked in coloured threads and couched gold on a patterned ground, framed by woven borders with geometric and floral ornament. The upper spandrels show stylised cityscapes, suggesting heavenly Jerusalem or may allude to the identity or life of the saint depicted. Each saint is identified by distinctive attributes: John holds a chalice containing a serpent, recalling the legend of the poisoned cup; James the Greater bears a pilgrim’s staff and wears a scallop shell on his mantle, symbol of the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela; and Bartholomew carries a book and a curved knife, the instrument of his martyrdom. The Crowned Virgin and Child, placed on the left, form the devotional focus of the composition. The refined execution, with its combination of gilded threads, subtle colour shading, and softly modelled faces, reflects the high artistic standards of 16th-century ecclesiastical embroidery workshops in the Southern Netherlands or Northern France. Mounted on a later red velvet backing with gilt fringe, this fragment preserves a rare glimpse of the splendour of vestments once used in the celebration of the Mass. In fairly good condition, some wear to the fabric and velvet (see images). From a Dutch private collection