The cover is made of red silk and couched gold thread. Portuguese elements, according to the V&A curatorial comments, include the iconography, including the double-headed pelican. The use of floss silk and gold work is reminiscent of Portuguese embroideries from Castelo Branco. The bed cover may have been embroidered in Portugal onto a Chinese made background, rather than being a purely export product.
Source: WILSON, Verity (2005). Chinese Textiles, London: V&A publications, plate 25
V&A online catalogue (retrieved 10 July 2016).
WV