Italy (?)
18th century (1st half)
White silk llama and golden thread; embroidery: golden thread, polychrome silks and coral beads.
This is the garment worn by the priest at Mass, the main Catholic religious celebration.
Of exceptional artistic and technical quality, this chasuble is made in silk thread and golden thread – llama – and features plant-inspired decoration, embroidered with coral beads, polychromatic silks and golden thread, with a pronounced oriental influence.
It belonged to the Episcopal Palace of Porto (Mitra).
It is thought that chasubles have their origins in Roman civil clothing, possibly in the paenula, a sleeveless, circular-shaped coat that covered the entire body, with only one opening for the head. Since then, they have undergone changes according to the tastes of each era and the needs of worship.