Goldwork

Gold thread became widespread after the birth of Christ and it could be found on vestments and clothes in European countries.

The Middle-Ages brought the greatest period of Church embroidery, much of it Gold work or Opus Anglicanum (English work). Later, metal thread embroidery was used exclusively to decorate clothing and furnishing for the nobility and the church during the Middle Ages. Then, during the eighteenth century gold and metal threads were used to produce flamboyant garments worn in the English and continental courts as a symbol of wealth and luxury. Today gold work is largely used in ecclesiastic church work, military dress, and for royal commission.