Art Institute of Chicago

Chasuble

Tabriz, Iran (Persia)

Date

Late 13th/14th century

Medium

Silk, plain weave with twill interlacings of secondary binding warps and gilt-animal-substrate-wrapped silk supplementary facing wefts; supplementary pile warps forming cut voided velvet; edged with gilt-metal-strip-wrapped silk, bobbin-made tape; lined with silk, plain weave

Culture

Tabriz

Department

Textiles

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

This chasuble, a Western church vestment worn by bishops and priests during Mass, is made from red velvet patterned with staggered rows of gold disks and is a prime example of cultural exchange between the Middle East and the West. It is one of about 30 surviving pieces with this pattern, most of which are fragments. Papal and Italian church inventories establish that such fabrics were woven in the late 13th and 14th centuries. Long associated with Spain or Italy, this fabric has more recently been attributed to the eastern Islamic world, specifically Tabriz in northwestern Iran. The attribution is based on technical characteristics, inventory descriptions, and Tabriz's fame as a center for luxury textiles.

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