Cleveland Museum of Art

Chasuble

Date

1700s

Medium

embroidery, silk

Culture

Italy, 18th century

Department

Textiles

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

The silk thread in this chasuble, a liturgical vestment worn over an alb, is exceptionally lustrous. The lavish allover floral and foliate decoration in pastel shades on golden stems and the ivory ground were embroidered with shiny floss silk—soft silk filaments that form loosely twisted instead of tightly twisted thread. The floss silk is crossed with parallel lines of thread in matching colors that are secured by a third thread from underneath, called laid and couched-work embroidery. The dazzling effect illustrates skilled workmanship.

The authoritative record is held by Cleveland Museum of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.