valentine gift

Valentine gift in the form of a small heart-shaped cushion covered in white, silk fabric at the front, embroidered in silk thread in shades of pink with some yellow detailing, decorated with sequins and strips of coiled silver wire on the upper surface and along the edges. A pink, cotton fabric bow at the top and a fan-shaped brass-bound wire element. Fixed to this is a piece of paper on which is printed: 'Nao sabes quanto me custa/ Vel-a por mim padecer/ Mas um dia o soffrimento/ Ha-de tornar-se prazer'. A literal translation would be something like: 'You do not know how much it costs me /To see her suffer for me/ But one day the suffering/Will turn to pleasure.' The reverse is covered in purple silk cloth.

Collection Information

These objects are only a part of our collections, of which there are more than 350,000 objects. This information comes from our collections database. Some of this is incomplete and there may be errors. This part of the website is also still under construction, so there may be some fields repeated or incorrectly formatted information.

The database retains language taken from historical documents to help research. Please note that some records may feature language and reflect systems of thinking that are outdated and offensive. The database also includes information on objects that are considered secret or sacred by some communities.

If you have any further information about objects in our collections, can suggest corrections to our information or if you see content requiring immediate action, please contact us: enquiry@horniman.ac.uk