Antique French Ecclesiastic Religious Bourse de Corporale

A beautiful bourse, it is worked with sumptuous feather stitch embroidery. It is French, originating from the Champagne region of France. It dates towards 1900. The embroidery was worked fashioned with the convent and is the work of a master needlewoman.

The bourse or purse, from the Latin bursa which means skin, leather, is a liturgical element intended to contain the corporal (square white linen cloth, now usually somewhat smaller than the breadth of the altar, upon which the chalice and paten, and also the ciborium are placed during the celebration of the Catholic Eucharist).

Very thick paper board is covered with creme colored silk cotton. The two board pieces are joined at the bottom and open at the top (1 1/2"). There is a closing flap with a silk covered button. Very fine, 1/8" brown braid outlines the edges both front and back. The face is expertly embroidered using the feather stitch (which imparts a raised appearance to each petal or leaf). The hues of salmon pink, rose, pale pink, mustard, ochre, loden green, chartreuse and crimson are rich and elegant against the creme silk. The Christogram at the center is worked with 1/4' repeating rows. There is a cross rising from the center which meets three pointing arrows at the bottom. Wheat sheaves and flowers, with beautifully worked centers flank each side of the Christogram. There is a braided rope. There are numbers on the back bottom right in yellow paint...this could be an inventory number or some sort of catalog number.

It measures: 7 1/2" x 8 1/2" x 3/8" (when closed). It is in good antique condition: fraying to the edges, darkening and spotting to the silk in accordance with age and use. The embroidery remains intact and the colors brilliant.

It is a spectacular religious textile.