A Unique (and New) Embroidered Rose Vestment Set

Having observed the new liturgical movement in action for a few decades now, I can recall the time when people would search antique shops or dream of obscure finds hidden away in parish vaults and the like in the hopes of uncovering liturgical items, including vestments, styled in the traditional manner so that they could be restored to liturgical use. Even when these finds happened, what was found was often limited to the particular flavours of the late nineteenth through mid-twentieth centuries and they were frequently incomplete at that -- if not damaged. 

In the area of paraments, the demand produced attempts at the creation of new vestments in older styles, but for many years these offerings remain fairly limited, not only in terms of quantity but also stylistically, and were there to be any embroidery at all, it would usually come in the form of a rather unsatisfactory applique. This eventually expanded further and we began to see more fulsome embroideries begin to be employed again, and while some attempts were better than others, in the earlier days these often didn't come off as completely 'right' yet for one reason or another. 

In point of fact, what we were witnessing was a gradual re-learning and refining of our sense of the traditional liturgical arts - an endeavour that was greatly enhanced by the digital age of the internet which allowed far greater access to this patrimony as well as to the knowledge and insights of others from all over the world. 

I have commented before that I believe we have finally, just in these past few years, begun to experience a true renaissance in contemporary, traditional vestment work, specifically with regard to the embroidered tradition. and Sacra Domus Aurea, who has been one of the makers at the forefront of this revival, recently added yet another example to their portfolio of offerings that add to this case in my estimation.

Their most recent offering includes a unique form of silk textile known as "ombre" which became popular in the latter part of the 18th century. The fabric creates an interesting effect -- one which reminds me of the colour variations provided by handwoven silk lamé -- and they combined this with classic Italianate embroidery. The end result is a unique rose vestment set that is both unconventional and yet traditional -- a powerful combination.

Let's take a look.

A slightly closer view of the embroidery which includes beautiful floral motifs in metallic gold: 

Of course, while the chasuble is always the star of the show, the other four pieces to the set come off equally as beautifully, the chalice veil and burse utilizing the traditional Jesuit-styled IHS monogram:

The burse

Stole and maniple

The chalice veil

The composition of this set, with that unique fade in the textile, could have easily gone awry, but this was all extremely well laid out and it has resulted in a truly eye-catching set of vestments.

For more information on this set, please visit Sacra Domus Aurea on social media or their website.