Chasuble
- Place of origin:
Bristol (made)
- Date:
ca. 1888 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Sedding, John Dando, born 1838 - died 1891 (designer)
Sisters of Charity (makers) - Materials and Techniques:
Woven silk ground embroidery in polychrome silks in a variety of stitches including long and short, feather, couched silver gilt thread, seed, pearly and applied gold braid
- Credit Line:
Given by the Sisters of Charity
- Museum number:
T.65-2004
- Gallery location:
In Storage
This is a chasuble designed by one of the leading church architects of the day, inspired by Medieval forms both in the shape of the chasuble and in its decoration. The Chasuble is worn by a priest at Mass and it is the back of the vestment that is seen by the congregation during worship. Therefore the back orphrey is usually the most highly decorated part of the vestment and the composition seen needs to be clearly visible from the main body of the church. The high quality of the cloth of gold woven ground and the range and skills of polychrome silk embroidery shows this example to be a special commission. It was also a labour of love for the nuns of the order who made and embroidered the chasuble in their convent workshops.
It was designed especially for use on the high altar in the convent chapel of The Sisters of Charity in Bristol and stayed within the order until it was given to the museum.
