In 1682 the Flemish Jesuit Philippe Couplet returned from a twenty-two-year stay in China. He arrived in Holland with heavy lug-gage. Among his many objects were several gifts donated by Candida Xu (1607–1680), an eminent Catholic lady of Songjiang (today part of Shang-hai city). The gifts included textiles, such as Mass vestments and altar cloths embroidered by Candida and her d…