An exhibition of Liturgical Clothing from the Museum’s Collection of Textiles

Until May 6th, the Museum of Arts and Crafts will feature a representative exhibition, Liturgical Clothing from the Museum’s Collection of Textiles. The exhibition will feature fifty items depicting all of the aspects of the stylistic diversity seen in textile motifs spanning the period between the 13th and the 19th century and particularly highlighting the typology of liturgical clothing as well as the importance of the symbolism of colour in liturgy.

Mass gowns are most heavily represented in the collection of liturgical clothing of the Museum of Arts and Crafts, while the biggest part of the collection pertains to liturgical clothing from the 17th and the 18th centuries featuring motifs typical of Baroque and Rococo silks. Interestingly, no silk fabrics were made for liturgical purposes until the end of the 17th century. Instead, clergy availed themselves the same materials as were used for secular clothes. Oftentimes, noblewomen gave the church their dresses as votive offerings, and these were used to make liturgical clothing.

Visitors will have an opportunity to see liturgical clothing decorated with rich golden thread embroidery as well as other styles of needlework, most notably those from the embroidery workshop of Wolfgang Jakob Stoll, which operated in Zagreb between 1650 and 1655, and the embroidery pieces by the Benedictine sisters from the Rijeka monastery. The Museum of Arts and Crafts purchased the latter works from the monastery back in 1914.

As part of the exhibition, there is also a presentation of the restoration procedures which the Textile Restoration Workshop of the Museum of Arts and Crafts applied to the clothing prior to the opening of the exhibition.