A question that has come in our direction on more than one occasion pertains to the drapery (frequently red in colour, though not always) that one sometimes sees suspended behind certain Italian altars, frequently topped a crown. Within Italy these are known as the padiglione, while the crown is the corona di padiglione.
This particular object of liturgical art is effectively akin to a kind of dossal curtain that forms an extension of the altar canopy. For that reason, while red seems to be the most common colour these are seen in, in point of fact they could (like the altar canopy itself) come in the various liturgical colours according to liturgical time.
The padiglione seems to be more common in the north of Italy than some other regions.
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