A Pair of Castelo Branco Embroidered Hangings

A pair of castelo branco embroidered hangings each with a center vase with flowers of blues and browns. This style is clearly influenced by Indian Portuguese embroideries from northwest India. Costelo Branco embroideries differ from their Indian counterparts in their use of large areas of flat untwisted floss silks, loosely couched. The effect of the stitch is to allow long lengths of silk to catch the light, deepening the color. The palette is lighter and the style is more folkloric than their Indian cousins.