Pontifical Chasuble with the Coat of Arms of Balthasar Liesch von Hornau

Roman style chasuble (fiddleback), bottom of front and back slightly rounded. Circular neck opening finished—like the edges—with a braided red-and-gold cord. Sides of the front and back made of large-repeat silk voided velvet with a golden-yellow pomegranate motif on a cream ground; lining of pale yellow damask (secondary). Center front features a column made of a wide, dark-golden Jacquard-woven band edged with cord, with motifs (in red, blue, and green) of a Neo-Gothic rosette, a stylized tree, and three small rosettes at the bottom, as well as the names “Ihesus” and “Maria” (black Gothic script). The back features a decorative cross-shaped column of analogous Jacquard-woven tape, edged with gold galloon and cord. The arms of the cross are filled with Neo-Gothic rosettes in green, blue, and red. In the center of the cross is the figure of Mary (crowned) with the Child, with an inscription below (black Gothic script) with abbreviations: “Regina caeli, laetare” (“Queen of Heaven, rejoice”), referring to the popular Marian antiphon. Below is a stylized tree with silhouettes of two birds (doves), the name “Ihesus” (black Gothic letters), and three small rosettes. Decorative motifs are woven in Jacquard technique, while the figure of Mary and Child is finished with hand embroidery: faces and hands are executed in satin stitch, and embroidery highlights the contours and garment details. At the bottom of the column is the hand-embroidered coat of arms of Bishop Balthasar Liesch von Hornau.

Provenance / Notes:
Part of the 19th-century set of pontifical vestments from the foundation of Balthasar Liesch von Hornau. The similarity in composition and technique indicates that chasubles No. 1, 6, and 7 were made in the same workshop and time.