Chasuble

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Well-executed in a glorious profusion of colorful silks, this liturgical garment- made for a Roman Catholic priest to wear when officiating at church services- was probably made by Chinese embroiderers, catering to the European market. Although the overall design responds to earlier Italian examples, motifs like the stylized and gilded lotus forms, the generous spacing of the floral elements and arabesques, and nuances of technique all suggest Asian execution. Although the garment seems at first glance to be composed of a decorated ground fabric with an applied orphrey strip down its center- as was conventional at this time- a closer look reveals the front and back are each made of a single piece of silk, over which the embroidery cleverly creates the illusion of three distinct panels.

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The fifty thousand objects in the Museum's comprehensive and historically important collection of European sculpture and decorative arts reflect the development of a number of art forms in Western European countries from the early fifteenth through the early twentieth century. The holdings include sculpture in many sizes and media, woodwork and furniture, ceramics and glass, metalwork and jewelry, horological and mathematical instruments, and tapestries and textiles. Ceramics made in Asia for export to European markets and sculpture and decorative arts produced in Latin America during this period are also included among these works.

Metropolitan Museum of Art