Hapsburg Guitar — Gold Leaf Ornament by Adrian Card

A guitar ornamented with motifs drawn from 17th-century Spanish textile design, executed in white and yellow gold leaf.

The ornament was adapted from 17th-century Spanish textile designs and executed in white and yellow gold leaf. The double-headed eagle — the heraldic emblem of the Hapsburg dynasty that ruled Spain throughout the 17th century — dominates the front of the instrument, surrounded by the dense foliate scrollwork characteristic of the period's woven silks and velvets. The front carries complementary scrollwork in the same vocabulary, framing the soundhole and running along the ribs.