Pair of gloves

In the 16th century, liturgical gloves were worn by bishops, certain abbots and other prelates, when wearing a mitre, but removed for the consecration of bread and wine during the Christian mass. The red relates to the liturgical colours associated with the church calendar. These gloves were hand knitted from red silk and yellow silk wrapped with silver strip in stocking stitch. On the back of each is the Christian monogram, IHS, which is reversed on the left hand. The gloves are knitted in the round, with the second thread woven into the back of the stitches so that the inside is neatly finished. The thumb was knitted separately, also in the round, and there is a diamond shaped gusset between the thumb and index finger.