Table Napkin, made in Courtrai, Belgium (linen damask weave)

This damask linen napkin, one from a set of three, was a gift from King Charles I of England to Thomas Brinley (c. 1591–1661), his auditor general of the revenue. Each napkin shows scenes from the biblical story of Judith and Holofernes. The center of this napkin shows Judith seated at a table with Holofernes and her maid; below, Judith appears again with her maid holding a sword in one hand and Holofernes' head in the other with his headless body lying on a canopied bed. During the seventeenth century the weaving of fine, figured linen damask reached its artistic and technical height. In addition to the traditional floral and checked designs, such linens were often decorated with armorials or coats of arms, historical events, hunting scenes, and allegorical and mythological themes as well as biblical subjects. This Flemish linen napkin is one of a set of three in the Museum's collection, each with a different scene from the Old Testament story of Judith and Holofernes. Here Judith appears both seated at a banquet table with Holofernes and again (below) with her maid, holding his head in one hand and a sword in the other while the headless body lies on a canopied bed. Large damask tablecloths and napkins, regarded as luxury items and status symbols, were often given as official gifts. One napkin from this set is embroidered with the initials TAB; according to family tradition, the linens were a gift from Charles I of England to Thomas Brinley (c. 1591-1661), his Auditor General of the Revenue. Dilys Blum, from Philadelphia Museum of Art: Handbook of the Collections (1995), p. 82.