With the great feast of Pentecost now upon us, what better time to show this elegant, ornamental red cope. This particular cope is Florentine in manufacture and is dated to the sixteenth century; specifically the last quarter of the sixteenth century, sitting somewhere between 1575-1599.
The cope is made from red velvet which, if you look closely, is not plain velvet but patterned (as was typical to the period). In point of fact, the designs on the velvet have been augmented by matching embroidery which has been placed over almost the entire body of the cope along with embedded stones.
The orphrey includes a series of medallions containing images of the Virgin and Child, St. Dominic, St. James the Greater, St. John the Evangelist, St. Catherine of Alexandria, St. Mary Magdalen, St. Dominic as well as another Dominican saint who particular identity is unclear, but it may well be a second image of St. Dominic having a vision of the Virgin Mary. Some details:
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| Virgin and Child |
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| The Apostle James |
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| A Dominican Saint -- possibly St. Dominic receiving the rosary |
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| St. Mary Magdalen |
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| St. John the Evangelist |
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| St. Dominic |
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| St. Catherine of Alexandria |
A cope such as this would be especially suited to Pentecost and its ancient octave.
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