Spectacular Sicilian Altar Frontal

You may know that last Sunday our Holy Father Pope Benedict visited Palermo, the capital of Sicily. For the Mass he celebrated there, an antique altar frontal was used, of which I have now found some close-up photgraphs which allow to see the incredible level of craftsmanship and artistry (click to enlarge):






Sadly, I have not found anything about the provenance or history of this altar frontal.

(Source: User "Benodette" of the "Pope Benedict Forum".)