Certain works of liturgical art are frequently seen, published repetitively, over and over, and the works of Sir Ninian Comper are no different in this regard. We often see certain select works coming out of his catalogue of work, but beyond that we are treated to very little else by him. For that reason it seemed worthwhile to at least take a stab at showing some of the, not 'lesser,' but rather less-seen vestment works designed by this gothic revival master. It is also an opportunity to observe some of the exquisite details of the embroideries and the beauty of their composition.
We'll begin with a red chasuble done in a shade of red that Watt's & Co. refers to as "Sarum Red" -- in fact the particular damask is still available from Watts under the name "Comper Cathedral"). This shape, as you will see, is more akin to what we think of as baroque, but covered in Comper's characteristically medievally-inspired figures, further peppered with gothic-scripted IHC monograms (a variant of the more popular and familiar "IHS"). This particular design was executed in 1904 for Comper by the famed Sisters of Bethany.
On the back we see an image of Christ being crowned in a triple-crown (tiara) by an angelic figure above. Beside and beneath are Fra Angelico-like angels with colourfully coloured wings, the one below playing the lute. Finally, we see a large figure depicting an image of the apostle and martyr, St. Paul.
The front has a rather unconventional in its shape with its high neckline and broad front. On the orphrey, we see an image first of apostle and martyr, St. Peter, and beneath, an image of an early deacon-martyr, perhaps St. Stephen, the first martyr.
To either side of both the front and back orphreys we find images of prophets of the Old Testament.
A closer look at a few select details.
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| The script here reads: "corona sanctorum omnia fortitudo martyrium." |
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| St. Peter |
Moving on, we also have two of the burses by Comper, the first of which is a red burse that may well be a part of the set shown above. On the front side has an incredibly beautiful depicion of the martry, St. Sebastian.
On the back. St. George slaying the dragon:
The second burse that we have by Comper depicts on its one side an image of the Assumption of the Virgin, while on the other we see an image of Our Lady of Sorrows.
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