The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 29, no. 7 (March, 1971)

Certainly the most magnificent of the processional
vestments was the cope (Figure 18).
It was originally a hooded cloak used as protection
against the cold by clergy and laity " ,
alike. When, in the twelfth century, it de- NI bo
veloped as a purely processional vestment, the
hood became a mere patch of embroidery, at
ar
first a small triangle. This patch evolved into
a magnificently embroidered shield, which
not only enriched the garment but also by its
shape recalled the original function of the O
hood as a head covering (see page 290, Figure
9).
18. Cope, front and back
views. Spanish (Burgos),
about 1437. Velvet,
.
!
appliqued design in gold i . .
thread; embroidery in
silk and metallic thread,
10 feet x 4 feet 8 inches.
The Cloisters Collection,
53.22
a
>4.-- _
1) ~-LCI-L~h -
'0 ^t~~~~~ rlittle ~
The vestment as an art form achieved its apogee
of perfection in the fifteenth century. Never before
or since had fabrics been so magnificently woven or
embroidery done with such skill. The best of textiles
were employed in making ecclesiastical vestments:
the finest velvets, brocades, and silks, and
the most intricate and beautiful embroidery. In these
vestments are also to be found masterful cutting,
sewing, and fashioning of the garment. But very
is known of how and under what circumstances
they were made. Was it in the cloister, the work of
nuns Or, were they products of the craft guilds in
the cathedral towns What caused the many changes
'1.,~
{> ^ in their form in the later Middle Ages and where did
' < , they first occur The answers to these and many
other questions are waiting to be uncovered.
Note
For bibliography and definitions of terms, see the bibliography
and glossary sections of this Bulletin (pages 313-317).