The golden cope of St. Catherine's Church in Hoogstraten, Belgium is representative of both the character and elegance of the world of Renaissance vestment work. The vestments of this period were characterized by lush silks and silk velvets (reds and golds were particularly popular) that are characterized by vegetal motifs and the more ornamental examples (which are the examples that have typically survived and made their way down to us today) also include richly embroidered scenes.
This particular cope is no different. First, the textile is a beautiful gold floriated silk with red and lighter gold accents that showcase stylized carnations within vases that are in surrounded by shafts of wheat and acanthus leaves.
The use of rich figurative imagery within this period is an extension of the popularity of such images during the preceding medieval period, enhanced further now by the skill of Renaissance craftsmen. This particular cope includes various biblical scenes showing the events associated with the Passion of Christ, including a prominent depiction on the shield of the Last Supper.
The orphreys on the cope continue this theme. While some of these scenes have degraded and are difficult to make out, we can still make out the Agony in the Garden, the Kiss of Judas, the Flagellation, the Crowning in Thorns, and the soldiers casting lots for Christ's seamless garment.
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| Detail showing the flagellation |
To my mind, Renaissance vestments provide a nice design synthesis between the image and symbol rich period of the middle ages with the elegant vegetal motifs of the baroque era.
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