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Straw Embroidered Vestments from Prague

Chasuble made from straw. Bohemia, late 17th century. Chasuble made from straw. Bohemia, late 17th century. Treasury of the St Vitus Cathedral, Prague.

The Treasury of the St Vitus Cathedral in Prague, Czech Republic, holds a set of straw-made and embroidered  religious vestments. The garments include a chasuble, maniple and stole (C.k. 114, cat. no. 84). They are all made out of decoratively woven straw. In addition, the garments are embellished with stylised floral motifs outlined in straw (2ply, Z-spun), which have been couched down using what appears to be a linen thread.

Coloured straw is used to fill some of the petals and roundels. The outfit dates to the latter half of the seventeenth century and is Bohemian (Czech) in origin.

Items from the Treasury are now on display in the Chapel of the Holy Cross, Prague Castle.

Source: KYZOUROVÁ, Ivana  (ed.; 2012). Svatovítský poklad: Katalog stálé výstavy v kapli sv. Kříže na Pražském hradě, Prague: Vydal Správa Pražského hradu, p. 123.

GVE

Last modified on Sunday, 30 April 2017 11:22