Rare papal vestments from the Vatican will form the heart of an upcoming exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York which aims to show the influence of the Catholic Church in the fashion world.
Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination opens on 10th May and features some 40 liturgical vestments and accessories – including rings and tiaras – from the Vatican’s collection. It is the first time some of the treasures normally held in the Sistine Chapel sacristy are being exhibited outside the Vatican.
The Vatican objects, which form just part of the exhibition, span a period from the 18th to the early 21st century and encompass more than 15 papacies.
Daniel H Weiss, president and CEO of The Met, said in a statement that the “Catholic imagination is rooted in and sustained by artistic practice, and fashion’s embrace of sacred images, objects, and customs continues the ever-evolving relationship between art and religion”.
The last time the Vatican made a loan of this size to the MET was in 1983.