Cushion with Saint Hyacinth

Art Historical Context

This exquisite 19th-century Italian cushion, featuring Saint Hyacinth, invites visitors to explore the artistry of sacred textiles. Crafted from silk, metal threads, and cotton, measures a compact 14¼ x 12 inches with 2¼-inch gusset, its practical use in liturgical settings—perhaps to support heavy missals, relics, or communion vessels during Masses. The unknown artist's skilled embroidery brings the revered saint to life, his figure rendered with intricate metallic highlights that catch the light, evoking divine radiance. Saint Hyacinth, a 13th-century Dominican preacher and miracle worker v...