Chasuble (part)

This cloth of gold was among the most expensive fabrics made in 15th-century Italy because of the complexity of its pattern and the expense of its materials. The design process required knowledge of the loom. A draughtsman or painter without any technical knowledge would have been able to draw the design, but that initial design work was converted into a form suitable for weaving either by weavers or by specialist designers who worked under contract to silk firms. They were often affiliated with the silk weaving guilds.

This textile was used for an ecclesiastical vestment, but its design would have been equally appropriate for the clothing of the small percentage of the population sufficiently wealthy to buy it.