Apparel from a Dalmatic

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.