4. PAIR OF GLOVES
Hand-knitted silk and silver-gilt thread, decorated with silver-gilt bobbin lace and plaited braid.
Spanish, late 16th to early 17th century.
Gloves formed an important part of the liturgy of the Church from an early period and several knitted examples have survived in the tombs of bishops. This ornate pair is a late example of the tradition. The gloves are knitted in patterned stocking stitch, the thread not in use being carried across and neatly woven into the back of the stitches.The gauntlets are knitted to shape in the round, as probably the whole of the gloves were originally. The thumb, which is cut and stitched in place, appears to be a slightly later replacement. The tips of the fingers also show signs of careful repair work.
437&A-1892 [1985]