Noël — Le Brocart (8 Plates)

Crimson and gold brocade cut close, so the pattern runs off every edge — a pomegranate figure worked in gold thread on a red velvet ground, with the light catching the raised parts of the weave. This is the cloth that hangs behind the sitter in a portrait, or over the table in a still life: the background nobody is meant to look at, brought forward and made the subject. Gold on red is the oldest holiday pairing there is, and it predates Christmas by several centuries. Available in 9″ dinner and 7″ salad or dessert sizes, with a coordinating bowl. Eight plates.