Altar Frontal
Second half of 16th century
- Medium
- Silk and gilt-metal-strip-wrapped silk, 4:1 satin damask weave with supplementary brocading wefts bound by main warps in weft-float faced 1:4 's' interlacing; edged with gilt-metal-strip-wrapped silk, plain weave with supplementary…
- Classification
- Religious/Ritual Object
- Dimensions
- 100.6 × 124.1 cm (39 5/8 × 88 1/4 in.); Repeat: 56 × 28.2 cm (22 × 11 1/8 in.)
- Culture
- Italy
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago, Textiles
- Credit line
- Gift of Edward Morris in memory of his wife
- Rights
- Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed
View at the Art Institute of Chicago
About this work
Expensive silk and gold textiles featured prominently in the decoration used in European Catholic churches. Because of their cost, precious materials were often recycled and refashioned. This 16th-century textile altar frontal has been augmented with more recent fringe and trimmings around the perimeter. The placement of these new elements echo the style of 16th-century frontals; they may have replaced originals that had become unsightly with age.
Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0
