Sentence:  The half-dozen pieces ... were painted white and carved with <WSD>festoons</WSD> of flowers, birds and cupids. To display them the walls had been tinted a vivid blue which had now faded, but the carpet, which had evidently been stored and recently relaid, retained its original turquoise. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A bas-relief, painting, or structural motif resembling such an ornament.