This altar frontal is made of silk and embroidered with silver thread, over-gilded thread, and colored threads which form a large rectangular piece composed of the joining of smaller fragments arranged vertically.
In the center of the composition stands out the figure of a recumbent lamb, the symbolic representation of Christ, resting upon a volume decorated with seven golden seals, clearly alluding to the Book of Revelation. The scene is framed by a radiance painted onto the fabric and refers to the biblical passage: “The city has no need of sun or moon to shine upon it, for the glory of the Lord gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb” (Rev 21:23).
The embroidery of the lamb displays a notable degree of naturalism, accentuated by the texture that simulates the natural fur of the animal. The ensemble is completed with a rich floral decoration of vivid chromaticity which is notable for its color gradation and for an arrangement that evokes the overall image of a garden of paradise.
This piece was made by the Mothers of the Convent of the Clarisas of the Purísima Concepción which constitutes a valuable testimony to the artistic skill of the Monforte nuns in religious textile art.
