Chasuble

Unknown

18th century · Silk, gilt metal, bast · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

This tabard-like garment would have been worn as part of a set of liturgical vestments by a Roman Catholic priest whilst leading Christian church services. It is made out of a sturdy, mass-produced fabric created on a Jacquard loom, whose punch-card reading technology allowed complex patterns to be machine-woven, the pride of French technical innovation. Its pattern is boldly articulated with red and orange lilies against a forest-green background. The exaggerated tear-drop shape of its front is very typical of nineteenth-century taste.

Artist

Unknown

Date

18th century

Medium

Silk, gilt metal, bast

Culture

possibly Bohemian

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Gift of Dr. Hilda Bettmann and Dr. Maria Henriette Kallberg, in memory of Hugo and Marie Anna Kallberg, 1980