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Valentine card: P.14342-R-52

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An image of Valentine card
Current Location: In storage

Titles

Valentine card

Maker(s)

Unknown

Entities

Categories

Description

A quarto valentine of gilded and embossed lace-paper with hand colouring. A central aperture has a blind of cream gauze onto which is mounted an embossed and hand-coloured lace-paper wreath of two flower stems (red campion) tied with a blue bow. The stems frame a central oval panel of cream silk onto which is painted a posy of flowers (pink rose, passion flower and convolvulus). A silver paper ornament: 'Love' is affixed onto the gauze at upper centre. The valentine opens to reveal an extensive handwritten dedication in sections entitled 'Recitative', 'Aria' and 'Finale' (all operatic references). The 'Recitative' in verse reads: 'Before thy Shrine / St Valentine / I once again appear / To pay to you / The Tribute due / For the forthcoming year'. The 'Finale' reads: 'On thy future Ladye Fayre / may a bright sun always shine / Is the constant & the fervent prayer / of thy true / Valentine'. The date is written at lower left: '14 Feby', although the date appears to have been rubbed from the paper. The inscription includes three references to the dedicatee, 'my Ladye Fayre', whom we know is the actress, 'Diana'. See also nos. 49 and 76 in this album, which are all addressed to 'Diana' or 'Ladye Fayre' from the same devoted suitor. See also album record P.14342-R for references to these valentines in the Glaisher letters. A maker's name cannot be found on this valentine, but the quality is again very fine and the original price would have been high.

Legal notes

Bequeathed by Dr J. W. L. Glaisher, 1928

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1928) by Glaisher, J. W. L., Dr

School or Style

British

Techniques used in production

Hand colouring
Collage

Identification numbers

Accession number: P.14342-R-52
Primary reference Number: 206532

Audit data

Created: Thursday 13 August 2015 Updated: Tuesday 26 March 2024

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Paintings, Drawings and Prints

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025) "Valentine card" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/206532 Accessed: 2025-12-08 14:16:48

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{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/206532 |title=Valentine card |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-08 14:16:48|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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