While he is perhaps best known for the unique papier-mâché tiara that he was crowned with in Venice at his coronation Mass, if we wish to see a more substantive example of liturgical art associated with him we need only turn to this papal mantum which was made for his pontificate.
The mantum in question is made red silk lamé, as is typical for the most precious vestments of this period, while the embroidery is done in an intricate style which is much more reminiscent of that which was seen in the later seventeenth or very early eighteenth centuries. It is a truly stunning work, one no doubt intended to re-assert the dignity and prominence of the papacy in view of the shadow that had been cast upon it by the forces of the French Revolution.
 |
| Ingres, Pius VII in the Sistine Chapel |
