Textile (3) - 99 cm - 71 cm - Ancient planet in silk

This is a sacred vestment from the 19th century made of “chinoir” silk (chinoiserie), that is, an Oriental-styled fabric very fashionable in Europe between the 17th and 18th centuries. The set seems to consist of a planet (panel), a stole, and a manipule, all coordinated in the same fabric.

Fabric: silk enriched with a multicolored decoration of vertical stylized motifs, recalling Oriental ikat or designs produced in Asian workshops imported to Europe.
Colors: ivory background with motifs in red, blue, and green, finished with gold galloons that outline the main parts.
Lining: light interior, probably linen or hemp.

Planet / Casula (center)
Wide shape but shortened at the sides.
Decorated with a cross-stitch in gold galloon on the front.
Shoulders reinforced with vertical bands, also bordered in gold.
Stole
Long and narrow, with crosses applied in gold galloon.
Fringes at the ends.
Manipule
Shorter and narrower than the stole.
Features the same decorations and fringes, in perfect coordination.

In the 18th century it was very common to use silk fabrics with Oriental taste (called “chinoiserie”), imported from China or imitated in European manufactories (especially Italian and French).
These fabrics were often reused for liturgical vestments because they were: expensive and precious, had elegant but non-figurative decorative motifs, and fit well with liturgical symbolism.

Based on the fabric, the galloons, and the form of the planet, this 19th-century silk chinoiserie vestment is very likely Italian in origin, with strong Venetian or Northern Italian influence.

The “chinoi” fabric

In the 18th century silk fabrics with Oriental motifs reached Europe through trade with China, often via the East India Company and through the port of Venice, which was one of the main centers of import and redistribution.

The planet has typical 19th-century Italian characteristics.