Antependium
Not on view
Fifteen fragments of medium red cult silk velvet, probably pieces of vestments were used to make this altar frontal. The pattern is a simple one of large three-lobed shields on wide, curved stems. A cope (a liturgical vestment worn during processions) from the cathedral at Burgos and now in the Art Institute of Chicago that dates to the 1430s is made from silk cut velvet with a similar design, as are a chasuble in the church of Santa Maria di Fontegiusta and a panel in the church of San Raimondo al Refugio, both in Siena. A fragment of red velvet in the Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, Brussels, has similar shields, but they contain stylized pomegranate motifs.
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