Italy (?)
18th century (1st half)
White silk llama and gold thread; embroidery: gold thread, polychrome silks and coral beads.
This is the garment worn by the priest, in the main Catholic religious celebration: the mass.
Exceptional in its artistic quality and technique, this chasuble is made of silk and golden thread – llama – with vegetal-inspired decoration. It is embroidered with coral beads, polychrome silks and golden thread, with a marked oriental influence.
It belonged to the Porto Episcopal Palace.
Chasubles are thought to have originated in Roman lay clothing, possibly in the paenula, a circular, sleeveless covering that covered the entire body, with only one opening for the head. Since then, they have undergone changes according to the taste of each period and the needs of worship.