Chasuble

Unknown

fourth quarter 17th century · Silk damask · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

This is a fragment: cut at the shoulders, it is the back half of a tabard-like garment worn by Catholic priests over their clothing when taking church services. The green and red strips of fabric are examples of very fine complex weave silks; intriguingly, both were woven to repeat the same pattern, but in different color schemes. On this garment, intentionally or not, the red strip shows the pattern in its correct orientation (with the crown element upright), whereas the green strips have been flipped (with the crown element upside down).

Artist

Unknown

Date

fourth quarter 17th century

Medium

Silk damask

Culture

probably Italian

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of The Jason and Peggy Westerfield Collection, 1969