Cloth of gold or gold cloth (
Latin: Tela aurea) is a
fabric woven with a
gold-wrapped or
spunweft—referred to as "a spirally spun gold strip". In most cases, the core
yarn is
silk, wrapped (filé) with a band or strip of high content gold. In rarer instances, fine
linen and
wool have been used as the core.
History
Cloth of gold has been popular for ecclesiastical use for many centuries. Under
Henry VII of England, its use was reserved to royalty and higher levels of nobility.[1] It is also used today by companies such as
Charvet for neckwear.[2]
Few extant examples have survived in
Roman provincial tombs.[3][4][5] Later producers of cloth of gold include the
Byzantine Empire and
MedievalItalian weavers, particularly in
Genoa,
Venice and
Lucca.[6] Dating from the 1460s the Waterford cloth-of-gold vestments are made from Italian silk woven in Florence. The panels were embroidered in Bruges which was the centre of the medieval embroidery industry. A similar cloth of silver was also made. It is still made in
India and Europe today.[7]
Use at Coronation of King Charles III
King Charles III re-used the
Supertunica made from cloth of gold at his
coronation on 6 May 2023. The full-length, sleeved coat is an important historic textile from the royal collection, weighing around two kilograms. It has been worn at several previous coronations in the United Kingdom.[8]
Other
Cloth of gold is not to be confused with various
goldwork embroidery techniques that date back to antiquity, though the type of goldwork thread called "passing" is identical to the weft thread of cloth of gold.
Most modern metallic fabrics made in the West are known as
lamé.
Cloth of gold is a familiar name occasionally applied to the venomous Conus textile species of
cone shell.[9]
Tilsent is a luxurious silken cloth interwoven with flattened threads of gold or silver.[10]