Dalmatic back

Late 19th century

Not on view

Responding to the Gilded Age's enthusiasm for Renaissance style, this garment is a pastiche, created out of repurposed crimson velvet furniture upholstery– thinly piled, with previous wear marks and tack holes clearly visible– paired with what was then brand new, late-nineteenth century needlework. These needlework panels, that representing Saint Luke applied to one side of the garment and Saint Mark to the other, were very competently executed by talented professionals, their design and technique emulating sixteenth-century examples, but with thinner, shinier metal-threads and garishly bright sewing silks. Though shaped as an oversized tunic-like dalmatic worn by a Catholic priest, this "vestment" was most likely assembled by a dealer to appeal to the art market rather than for use within an ecclesiastic context.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Title: Dalmatic back
Date: Late 19th century
Culture: Spanish, possibly
Medium: Silk and metal thread
Dimensions: L. 49 x W. 39 inches (124.5 x 99.1 cm)
Classifications: Textiles-Velvets, Textiles-Ecclesiastical
Credit Line: The Friedsam Collection, Bequest of Michael Friedsam, 1931
Object Number: 32.100.403b
Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

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