Tablecloth

Object name

Tablecloth

Date made

Circa 1865

Place made

France

Description

Late-19th century French whitework tablecloth featuring a coat of arms, representing the marriage of French nobleman Antoine Just Léon Marie de Noailles and princess Anne Murat.

Content description

Circa 1865 French whitework tablecloth depicting a coat of arms. Worked on very fine cotton in white cotton threads involving satin, counted satin, padded satin, straight, stem, couching, and dot stitches. At the top of the coat of arms is a coronet and to the side are two tasselled bows made to look like rope. Two supporters in the form of Hercules, equipped with clubs, flank the shield. Symbols in the shield include an eagle, a horse, and a triskelion of three human legs. Below the shield is the motto 'LÆDIMUR HAUD AURA LETHALI', meaning 'The breath of death does not reach us'.

This piece commemorates the marriage of French nobleman Antoine Just Léon Marie de Noailles and princess Anne Murat. Antoine Just Léon Marie de Noailles was the 9th prince de Poix and from 1846 the 6th duc espagnol de Mouchy, 5th duc français de Mouchy et duc de Poix. Anne Murat was a great-niece of Napoleon Bonaparte. The pair were married in 1865, suggesting this tablecloth may have been made around that time. The diagonal line on the left side of the coat of arms is emblematic of the Dukedom of Noailles, and the two crowns symbolise the marriage of the nobles.