Embroidered Sleeve from a Dalmatic

This sleeve belonged to an ecclesiastical garment called a dalmatic. Gold and silver thread form overlapping lattices with crowns on crimson velvet. In the scene, Christ washes the feet of Peter, who is accompanied by other apostles. Gold thread dominates, in the shaded-gold technique (or nué), its brilliance varying based on the density of the silk thread crossing over it. The resulting high quality could only have been achieved by a master embroiderer working from a good painter’s design.