Bodice for an altar figure

This dress and bodice (2009.300.2329) are particularly miniature examples of garments for liturgical effigies. They were created for figures of the Virgin and Child as indicated by the letters on the front and were presumably shown together as they match in every detail. Beautifully constructed, their fine detailing includes applied metallic cord at the hem and piping at neck and waist. The bodice would have been accompanied by a skirt, which is now lost.

Credit: Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Pratt Institute, 1934