Continuing on with some of our considerations of vestments appropriate to the Easter Season, as well as our considerations of the exquisite vestment and embroidery work of Mother Marie Lemaire des Anges and the Ursulines of Québec, here today we take a quick look at what is informally referred to by the Musée des Ursulines du Québec as the "Jesuit chasuble" -- no doubt because it was produced for the Jesuits in Québec.
The chasuble is dated to the first quarter of the eighteenth century and comes in a French style typical to that period. The back includes a Latin cross with gold embroidered flowers an a central medallion of the Agnus Dei. Surrounding this cross are a series of colourful, needle-painted flowers, that the Ursulines of Quebec are known far, falling into a common tradition we find in the Latin West where motifs of Spring are frequently present, no doubt intended to carry echoes re-birth and renewal (i.e. resurrection) as well as their obvious festal connotations.
The work really speaks for itself. Here are some closer details will show the quality of the work, beginning with the Lamb of God.
It is worth noting the three dimensional quality of the raised embroideries as well as the needle painting techniques used on the flowers. It is also worth commenting how nicely this chasuble accomplishes a balance by utilizing only gold embroideries within the Latin cross itself. The end result is quite refined.
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