Casgliadau Arlein

Banner of the Cardiff branch of the Anti-Apartheid movement. Painted in about 1977 by Gerda Roper at her home in Barry Island. Oil on canvas featuring a group of 10 people on a blue background. Above is the inscription 'ANTI-APARTHEID' in blue and 'CARDIFF WALES' in red lettering.

There are three wooden sections that fit together with nuts and bolts to create a frame for the banner to hang from. The sections are made from brown stained hardwood with carved decorations of a ball in between two square sections at the ends. The horizontal section has the decorations at both ends, whereas the vertical sections only have the decorations at the top.The horizontal section measures 2112 mm long and 45 mm wide and deep. One vertical section is 2095 mm long and 45 x 43 mm wide and deep, the other section is 2114 mm long and 45 mm wide and deep.

Plain weave cotton canvas with loops in the canvas along the top and side edges made by doubling up the fabric and stitching it. The loops are approximately 100 mm wide. The fabric along the bottom edge has been stitched to have a double thickness. There is a seam join approx 455 mm from the bottom edge. The paint is matt and has soaked into the unsized and unprimed canvas. There are yellow, red and blue underlayers in different parts of the painting. The paint surface is quite matt and appears greyish in the darker passages due to surface dirt. The painting appears unvarnished. The painting has not been previously restored.