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Chasuble

15th century
Not on view
A chasuble is worn by a priest during the celebration of the Mass. On the back, which would have been visible as he faced the altar, are the Crucifixion of Jesus, with the Virgin Mary, his mother, and Saint John the Evangelist. Jesus' outpouring of blood is dramatized by the use of embroidery. The spear and sponge by which he was tormented, and the scourges from his Flagellation on the front add to the theme of sacrifice. This simple and provincial vestment is unusual for its use of applied leather and of plain wool rather than cut velvet.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Chasuble
  • Date: 15th century
  • Geography: Made in Lower Saxony, Germany
  • Culture: German
  • Medium: Silk, parchment and linen on wool
  • Dimensions: Overall: 27 x 44 in. (68.6 x 111.8 cm)
  • Classification: Textiles-Costumes-Ecclesiastical
  • Credit Line: The Cloisters Collection, 1957
  • Object Number: 57.18
  • Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters

More Artwork

More Artwork
Ciborium, Gilded copper with glass insets, German
Ciborium
German
late 14th century–early 15th century
Chasuble Back with an Orphrey, Silk and gilt-metal-strip-wrapped silk plain weave, brocaded with gilt metal thread.<br/>Binding tape: cotton plain weave<br/>Lining: linen plain weave, glazed<br/>Orphrey Cross: linen plain weave appliqué with silk, gilt-animal-substrate-wrapped linen, wool, and hemp., Italian, Spanish, or Turkish; German
Chasuble Back with an Orphrey
Italian, Spanish, or Turkish; German
15th century
Embroideries with Allegorical Scenes, Silk and linen on woven linen ground with applied red pigment and black under- and overdrawing, German
Embroideries with Allegorical Scenes
German
ca. 1450
Chasuble, Linen and wool, Italian, possibly
Chasuble
Italian, possibly
mid-16th century
Comb Morion, Steel, German, Brunswick
Comb Morion
German, Brunswick
ca. 1560–65

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