Antique Vietnamese Catholic Lamb of God Design Authentic Ecclesiastical Cloth Altar Textile

This vintage Vietnamese Catholic altar cloth features a central sunburst with the Lamb of God resting in the middle. The Lamb is embroidered of silver metallic thread and is holding a cross. Above the Lamb are the words, in Vietnamese, "Con Chien Thien Chua" which translates, loosely, to "God of War". Around the central Lamb are silk embroidered flowers. Each end is decorated with sprays of silk flowers. This would have decorated the front of the altar, held in place by plain cloth attached to the top, most of which is now very much deteriorated . This is an exceptionally beautiful early 20th century cloth and is among the oldest we have. Regrettably its condition reflects its age and use; it is very worn and stained.  Most people associate Catholicism in Viet Nam with the French colonial period, which is very much the case. However, Jesuits from all over Europe brought Catholicism to Asia 500 years before that. The Catholic tradition in Viet Nam and all the other Catholic p