Precious garments and hangings have long been used to adorn certain individuals or locations, or to give significance to an extraordinary situation at a specific point in time. Whereas aspects of iconography have been reflected in monographic studies on individual pieces, the broader functional context of liturgical textiles and their iconography have so far barely been considered in scholarly publications. The book, presenting the papers delivered during a colloquium in 2007 at the Abegg-Stiftung, provides insights into this topic from various viewpoints.