One of my favourite things at this time of the year, a period of time which finds nature springing back to colour and life, a time too when we find ourselves in the month of Mary (symbolized as she is by so many flowers), is to feature sacred vestments of the same sort. Typically what we are speaking to here are eighteenth and nineteenth century vestments coming in textiles (or embroideries) made up of naturalistic and floral motifs. Today's vestments are precisely of this sort, coming out of the ateliers of Venice sometime between 1690-1710.
What particularly struck me about this particular set were the beautiful colours and design of the textile. Flowers of pleasing red and blue tones are accented by green and metallic gold leaves. The pattern of the design -- which is called "a meadro" for reason of its meandering, stream like design -- has a beautiful, flowing quality to it that leads one's gaze heavenward much like a reredos does. Equally as beautiful are the silver, lace braid trims and galloons that have been paired with this fabric. The end result is colourful and yet not in the least bit overdone.
A vestment such as this would be welcome at most any time of the liturgical year of course, but it seems to me to be particularly fitting for Eastertide as well as for the feasts of the Blessed Virgin.
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| One of the pair of dalmatics |
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| Examples of the stole and maniple |
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| The chalice veil and burse |
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