2-725-683 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Chalice Veil with Monogram of Christ, 1500s. Lauren Maceross, a graduate student at Case Western Reserve University, has identified this as a veil used to cover the chalice that holds the wine until the moment of communion in a Catholic mass. The central monogram abbreviates the name of Christ in Greek, surrounded by a circle of rays that indicate a holy symbol. The technique is of needle lace, knotted (buratto) in an irregular pattern (mezza mandolina) and darned in two directions.