Chasuble
Unknown Artist
1700s
Medium
embroidery, silk
Dimensions
114 × 69.7 cm
Classification
Embroidery
Department
Textiles
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Wade
Accession Number
1916.1441
About this artwork
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 dazz...