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Apparel from a Dalmatic
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
This lavishly enriched embroidery, known as an apparel, is part of a set that originally embellished a dalmatic, an ecclesiastical garment, one on the front above the hem and another on the back. Gold and silver thread form the striking strapwork, or interlaced scrolls, of blossoms and leaves. The variety of stitches would have made the embroidery sparkle in low light levels, such as in a candlelit church. Some are worked in straight lines, others in curved contours, while still others create more textured basket-weave effects.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineApparel from a Dalmatic, early 1500s. Italy, early 16th century. Silk, gold and silver thread; embroidery; overall: 41.9 x 54.6 cm (16 1/2 x 21 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. William J. Robertson, 1977.169.b
