
1480–1550
Velvets fabrics often formed the foundation for the most sumptuous liturgical textiles used by European clergy. The altar frontal, a cloth that covers the front of the altar table, was once decorated with embroidery and it was likely part of a coordinating set of liturgical objects that include priests’ apparel and accessories. Variations of this popular velvet pattern were woven in both Italy and Spain and produced for many decades. A kaftan made of this design was part of the vast wardrobe of the Ottoman Sultan Ahmed I (r. 1603–17).