Alb
Unknown Artist
Embroidered Linen: 1600s; Bobbin Lace (Point d’Angleterre) Flounce: 1700s
Medium
Plain weave linen embroidered in gold and silver; linen bobbin lace (Point d’Angleterre a Reseau)
Dimensions
342.9 × 61 cm
Classification
Garment
Department
Textiles
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of J. H. Wade
Accession Number
1920.1260
About this artwork
This beautiful vestment, called an alb, was worn under other liturgical garments by the clergy who served at the altar. Embroidered with gilt-metal thread flora on a linen ground, it is trimmed with a flounce and cuffs of lace, the most fashionable and expensive material at the time. Its purple silk lining indicates that it belonged to an archbishop. The exquisitely worked bobbin lace consists of two large composite floral designs flanked by popular curved forms on an elaborate bar ground that r...