This chalice veil was bought from a lace dealer in 1870, together with matching chasuble, maniple and stole, and the set had probably been mounted onto its red silk in the mid 19th century. It was recommended for acquisition by one of the Museum’s advisors with the comment “I do not think the Department is ever likely to meet with a more eligible example of the splendour with which such vestments were wrought in the richest days of the Roman Catholic Church.”

Lace was among the most highly prized and expensive of all textiles in the 17th century. From the main centres of production in Italy and Flanders it was traded widely across Europe, and the industry responded quickly to changes in fashionable dress, as different styles came in and out of favour. In the 1660s, Venetian needle lace became the most fashionable lace, dominating the upper end of the market for both men’s and women’s dress. The industry also expanded rapidly through the patronage of the Catholic Church. Italian lace-makers exaggerated the three-dimensional qualities of needle lace, and developed the technique of dividing up large patterns into manageable sections, enabling the production of large-scale ecclesiastical items like vestments and church furnishings that were conspicuously extravagant.