Chasuble with Orphrey Band

A richly embroidered band, with three medallions depicting Christ, the Virgin Mary, and Saint John the Baptist, adorns this vestment for the priest celebrant of the Eucharist. Vestments — along with liturgical objects such as crosses, monstrances, censers, chalices, and books — served as visual markers of the spiritual transformation of time and space that occurred during the performance of Mass. Donning this chasuble was part of the priest’s preparation for the sacred ritual; its beauty symbolized this altered state.