Brocaded silkexpand_more
The Dandelion Endowment Fund for Textilesexpand_more 2022.79.1
Copes are large semicircular mantles worn by Catholic priests or bishops when they are not celebrating Mass (when they wear a T-shaped garment called a chasuble). Copes are worn during processions, and when priests or bishops celebrate other sacraments such as marriage and baptism. The shape of copes has remained virtually unchanged from the Middle Ages until now. This cope is noteworthy for its vibrant and intricately patterned silk textile, which also retains evidence of its previous existence as a lady’s formal gown. It was common during the eighteenth century for parishioners to show their piety by donating textiles to their churches to be used as vestments.
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