Lectern Cloth from the “Palm Leaf ” Set of Pontifical Vestments of Portugal

A set of fabrics was sent by King John V of Portugal (r. 1706–50) to the Custody of the Holy Land in 1728. Made of elegant velvet decorated with a pattern of pomegranates, these were from the Italian city of Genoa. The fabric is described in documents as “a drapery from Portugal, an opulent piece of material, with a silver ground to be used on the outside of the Most Holy Saint Sepulcher.” Later, in 1735, the king sent a set of pontifical vestments with a similar fabric.