Silk mitre embroidered with gold foil, pearls and precious stones, crafted in Florence in the first quarter of the 16th century. In the Catholic rite mitres are worn as liturgical headdresses by bishops and popes. This mitre was probably worn by Pope Leo X, a member of the Medici family, for the Mass he celebrated in the Cathedral on the occasion of his visit to Florence in 1515. The mitre, together with the crosier, is part of a bishop’s insignia, the objects that mark him out from other clergymen. The mitre comprises two pointed rigid panels symbolizing the Old and New Testament. The mitre we see here, known as the "precious mitre", is used for particularly solemn celebrations; which is why it is in rich silk ornamented with pearls and precious stones.