Distinctive Shades of Liturgical Colours in Eighteenth Century Vestment Work

Arguably the tastes of the later 19th and 20th centuries combined with the industrialized, catalogued religious goods industry and its novel notion of "ecclesiastical fabrics" contributed (as I have argued before) to a flattening of our perception of liturgical colours. We tend to very much think of these in primary colour terms with some slight gradations toward the darker end of each colour's spectrum.

However, earlier centuries -- tied as they were to the broader textile industry and therefore less limited in scope -- had a tendency to reflect a much broader spectrum of colours and tastes. In the 18th century in particular, pastel and other lighter tones were quite popular and as such, we can find many examples of liturgical vestments made in these tones. 

Evidently, people will have their own particular favourites where shades are concerned, but the main lesson here is that our much more restricted sense of what constitutes "proper" liturgical colours is just that -- restricted. A much broader historical palette is at our disposal should we choose to utilize it.

In view of that, I though I would show some examples of vestments that utilize shades which are seldom seen today. We begin with some pale greens. 

ca. 1750-1774

ca. 1750-1799

ca. 1775-1799

ca. 1700-1799

ca. 1760-1770

Shifting gears, the next colour that frequently is very distinctive in this regard is violet.

ca. 1740-1760

A violet folded chasuble (planeta plicata) dated to ca. 1750-1774

ca. 1750-1799

ca. 1750-1774

ca. 1750-1799

ca. 1750-1774

The liturgical colour rose is already pale and pastel by nature, but here are some shades seldom seen today.

ca. 1740-1750

ca. 1775-1799

ca. 1775-1799

ca. 1700-1799

Finally we turn to gold.  (Yes, even gold has its paler variants.)

ca. 1790-1810

ca. 1790-1810

ca. 1750-1799

ca. 1700-1799

You may wonder why I have chosen to not include red, black or white in this. In the case of red, a paler red tends to be considered rose all things considered. In the case of black, there really is no such variant; black is black. As for white, the closest equivalent would be the more creamy coloured white fabrics, but these aren't exactly atypical or unknown today. 

The colours shown here, however, most especially the greens, violets and golds, are not particularly common in our time, and yet they present a clear variation from the more typical manifestation of these liturgical colours in our time. 

In thinking of liturgical colours for vestments, we should think in the broadest historical terms possible for it is the variety that makes for the interest.