A dark salmon silk lampas chasuble with woven orphrey, with matching and other later complementary accessories, Italian, 16th century and later

There was extensive demand in late Medieval and Renaissance Europe for pictorial bands and panels for use on church vestments. Although professional embroiderers were the main beneficiaries of this demand, the silk weavers devised fabrics (weft faced compound twill) that offered alternatives and were decorative, appealing, reliable quality and available at lower prices. Bands using gold threads were not new to the market, as Germany had been producing them in the 15th/16th century. They included figures of saints and religious scenes and faces often had embroidered detailing. Italy had produced woven bands for use as orphreys since the 14th century and Gothic period, and had perfected weaving faces, and therefore this group had become a specialism within their major textile weaving industry. From the 15th century there was a more advanced Renaissance style emerging, and gold thread was not used by itself but with an accompanying yellow silk thread. The strong red dye in earlier pieces was still used, but a pink dye appeared too, which was probably more economical for the producers. The pink becoming a universal background by the 16th century, and the pattern was in yellow silk, with no combined gold thread. The designs became less detailed and stylised. The designs could be altered to fit the rectangular dimensions for apparel on dalmatics or vertical orphrey panels on chasubles. The motif of the six winged seraphim head, the IHS – Christogram, within a glory of rays, and the Virgin were common motifs. They were clear and identifiable. The economic advantage was that it could be woven at length and trimmed for the required amount needed.

For comparables in collections see the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (Inv. No. T70-1922), The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (Inv.33.39.5), Museo del Tessuto di Prato, Tuscany (Inv. 75.01.531), Palazzo Madama, Turin (Inv.119 T, 589T and 2259). For an example of a similar Italian brocaded velvet chasuble with similar lampas silk bands as orphrey panels, second quarter 16th century, see Museo Nationale del Bargello, Florence (Inv. 371.M).

Bibliography

Rosamund Garrett, Matthew Reeves, Late Medieval and Renaissance Textiles, Sam Fogg Gallery, London, 2018, No. 26, Lampas silk chasuble with the same orphrey band, Italy, probably Florence, circa 1525-1550, from a private collection.

Monique King and Donald King, European Textiles in the Keir Collection, 400BC to 1800AD, Fabre and Fabre, London and Boston, 1990, Chp. 6, Renaissance Woven Pictures, 1450-1550, (Nos. 75-86), pp.112-125, no. 85, Orphrey with Virgin, Seraphim and (IHS) Christogram in yellow on pink (lampas, with satin ground and compound twill), early 16th century, acquired from Salvadori, Florence

Jose Luiz Santoro, Tessuti Figurative a Firenze Nel Quattrocento, Antichita Piselli, Firenze, 1981, pp.22-41, catalogue entries, 6-12, and 9 and 11 for comparable examples for horizontal and vertical orphrey panels