This decorated box held the corporal. This is the linen altar cloth on which the priest places the chalice and paten during the celebration of Christian mass. Here you can see the rich decoration of embroidery and a band of bobbin lace worked in silver-gilt thread.
In Italy, textile workers in Venice and Milan specialised in producing and working with the silk and metal thread used for much early bobbin lace. They worked with bobbins to produce different types of trimmings, ranging from simple plaits to more complex braids and other constructions.