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The exquisite velvet fabric of this church vestment is lavishly brocaded with gold and silver threads, a characteristic of Italian velvets from the late 1400s. The embroidered glittering gold bands (orphreys), originally parts of another textile, masterfully portray saints in architectural settings.
Under the guidelines of the Roman Catholic Church, chasubles had to be made of silk or silk velvet—the most expensive and luxurious of all fabrics. The velvet fabric and the orphreys were donated to the church where subsequently they were used to create this chasuble.
(Loewi-Robertson Gallery, Los Angeles); purchased by the Indianapolis Museum of Art (1974).