Italian

Dynamic red fabric takes center stage in this garment made for a priest to wear during Mass. Luminous silver gilt threads add dimension to the floral motifs while yellow-green silk floss accents the vegetation. The maker added further depth to the design by combining red silk warp threads with white silk weft threads to create a shadowy repeated image. This method of weaving and the style of the vegetation are very much in conversation with silks imported from China and Persia—evidence of the rich visual exchange active in Italy in the 1600s.