Today I thought we would take yet another pass through Renaissance Florence by looking at a cope that was made in Florence in the sixteenth century, specifically sometime between 1575-1600. As was so often the case in the Renaissance, velvet was the popular fabric of choice, in this instance a beautiful deep red silk velvet with embossed designs. In addition to those designs, further embroideries of flowers and fruits ahve been placed over the entire body of the cope, telling us that this particular was intended for a liturgical setting that was both solemn and noteworthy for its importance. A tasseled fringe lines the bottom edge of the cope.
What is of especial interested however is the orphrey band of the cope which contains even more ornate embroidreies, coloured glass stones and seven roundels set into cartouches which depict various saints. (And as a point of interest in this regard, its interesting that they were all oriented the same direction which is often not the case). These images include the Virgin and Child, St. Dominic, St. James the Greater, St. John the Evangelist, St. Catherine of Alexandria, St. Mary Magdalen and an another unidentified Dominican saint.
 |
| Virgin and Child |
 |
| St. James the Greater, Apostle |
 |
| St. Mary Magdalen |
 |
| Unknown Dominican saint and Virgin and Child |
 |
| St. John |
 |
| St. Dominic |
 |
| St. Catherine of Alexandria |
-------
Do you like Liturgical Arts Journal's original content? You can help support LAJ in its mission and vision to promote beauty in Catholic worship either by:
You choose the amount! Your support makes all the difference.
