I~~~~~
ECCLES ASTCAL VE STMENTS OF THE MIDDLE AGESn An EJli;ioi I'n this age <strong>of</strong> synthetic fibers and mass-marketed fashion, our sensitivity to the rich embroidery and costly textiles <strong>of</strong> other centuries seems to have waned. But during the Middle Ages, long before the reign <strong>of</strong> industrial tech<strong>no</strong>logy and the pervasiveness <strong>of</strong> consumer goods, even the simplest woven fabric was held as an object <strong>of</strong> value <strong>no</strong>t only because <strong>of</strong> the function it fulfilled but also because <strong>of</strong> the meticulous hand labor it represented. By today's standards, <strong>no</strong>ne but the richest households <strong>of</strong> the Middle Ages could boast vast arrays <strong>of</strong> material possessions. Distinctions <strong>of</strong> wealth and position were achieved <strong>no</strong>t through accumulation alone but rather through the richness and artistry invested in these possessions. Textiles therefore became an important medium through which one's rank, wealth, and prestige were symbolized in both secular and ecclesiastical spheres. It is <strong>no</strong>t surprising, then, that elaborate ceremonial costumes, richly decorated bed hangings, and heraldic banners appear frequently in private inventories throughout the Middle Ages. Unfortunately, virtually <strong>no</strong>ne <strong>of</strong> these are extant today. <strong>The</strong> finest examples <strong>of</strong> embroidered textiles that survive were ordered by and for the use <strong>of</strong> the greatest <strong>of</strong> all medieval patrons-the church. <strong>The</strong>se surviving textiles, however, can give us only an indication <strong>of</strong> the size and splendor <strong>of</strong> the original production, because much has been destroyed by war and reformation and through the continual changes in liturgy and fashion, as outmoded vestments were <strong>of</strong>ten recut, otherwise mutilated, or even destroyed. Collections <strong>of</strong> ecclesiastical vestments <strong>of</strong> the Middle Ages in this country are <strong>no</strong>t as impressive as many in Europe, partly because <strong>of</strong> a general lack <strong>of</strong> interest in such lesser and parochial arts, and partly because <strong>of</strong> the unavailability <strong>of</strong> these objects. Most <strong>of</strong> the finest examples are preserved in church or private treasuries or have found their way into important European museums. Nonetheless, <strong>The</strong> <strong>Metropolitan</strong> <strong>Museum</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Art</strong> has accumulated a superior collection, whose particular strength is in fifteenth- and early sixteenth-century vestments. Ecclesiastical Vestments <strong>of</strong> the Middle Ages, currently at <strong>The</strong> Cloisters, is the third in a series <strong>of</strong> special exhibitions initiated and designed by Florens Deuchler, Chairman <strong>of</strong> Medieval <strong>Art</strong> and <strong>The</strong> Cloisters, to display rarely seen objects from the collections. Not only are many <strong>of</strong> the vestments being shown for the first time, but the exhibition is one <strong>of</strong> the very few in this country ever devoted exclusively to this material. About twenty-five vestments, including all the major types and ranging in 285 Contents Ecclesiastical Vestments <strong>of</strong> the Middle Ages Timothy B. Husband Opus Anglicanum Bonnie Young Sacred Vestments as <strong>The</strong>y Developed in the Middle Ages Jane Hayward <strong>29</strong>9 Ecclesiastical Vestments in the Modern Church John T. Doherty 310 <strong>The</strong> Study <strong>of</strong> Medieval Ecclesiastical Costumes: A Bibliography Dobrila-Donya Schimansky 313 Glossary 316 Origin and Influence 318 "A Young Man Impatient to Distinguish Himself" John K. Howat 327 FRONTISPIECE A detail <strong>of</strong> one <strong>of</strong> the most beautiful vestments at <strong>The</strong> Cloisters - the Chichester-Constable chasuble, discussed in the article beginning on page <strong>29</strong>1 ON THE COVER 285 <strong>29</strong>1 Front: An angel holding instruments <strong>of</strong> the Passion. Detail from the embroidered orphreys <strong>of</strong> the Burgos cope, illustrated on pages <strong>29</strong>0 and 309 Back: Louis-Marie, Vicomte de Noailles, by Gilbert Stuart. This recently acquired painting is discussed in the article beginning on page 327 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Metropolitan</strong> <strong>Museum</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Art</strong> is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve, and extend access to <strong>The</strong> <strong>Metropolitan</strong> <strong>Museum</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Bulletin</strong> ® www.jstor.org
- Page 1: wf7"IHO Of i~~~~~~~ I I~ (
- Page 5 and 6: 3. Cope. English, early XVI century
- Page 7 and 8: 8. Chasuble, front view. Spanish, e
- Page 9 and 10: D e opere Anglicano," "de I'ouvrage
- Page 11 and 12: on the front six large seated saint
- Page 13 and 14: ways: he was taking every possible
- Page 15 and 16: Bowdon families either by gift or i
- Page 17 and 18: I 1. Scenes from the Life of St. Au
- Page 19 and 20: of them depict biblical rather than
- Page 21 and 22: similar vestments including a dalma
- Page 23 and 24: attributed to St. John Chrysostom,
- Page 25 and 26: the shoulders, the one in back slig
- Page 27 and 28: Certainly the most magnificent of t
- Page 29 and 30: and the full vestments of the Churc
- Page 31 and 32: The Study of Medieval Ecclesiastica
- Page 33 and 34: Bibliographies, Encyclopedias, Dict
- Page 35 and 36: 1Alb An ankle-length undergarment w
- Page 37 and 38: Much less common - and consequently
- Page 39 and 40: ^^, ^8'^^ . . - Above: Iranian, ear
- Page 41 and 42: Many of the Nimrud ivories illustra
- Page 43 and 44: thought to be the fiercer sex, was
- Page 45 and 46: "A Young Man Impatient to Distingui
- Page 47 and 48: successful siege of Grenada, July 4
- Page 49 and 50: The Vicomte, who was the more lenie
- Page 51 and 52: eral political dissension, the armi
- Page 53 and 54:
Windham for his recent "affectionat
- Page 55 and 56:
life during his ten-year sojourn th
- Page 57 and 58:
mento mori. The ubiquitous thistle,
- Page 59 and 60:
THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART BOAR