The Syon Cope

'The Syon Cope', scenes from the Life of Christ and the Virgin, linen embroidered with silk, silver-gilt and silver thread, England, 1300-1320. Linen embroidered with silk, silver-gilt and silver thread in underside couching, split stitch (figures), laid and couched work (the background), showing scenes from the Life of Christ and the Virgin, and standing apostles. Three (originally four) rows of interlaced barbed quatrefoils, alternatively with green and red grounds, enclose: 1. Down the centre back, the Coronation of the Virgin; Christ Crucified, with the Virgin and St. John; the Archangel Michael with the dragon and a distinctive shield with a green cross on a red ground, the figure of Christ in silver (reminiscent of a crucifix in hard materials). Relative to the other scenes, St Michael is large. 2. To the left: the Burial of the Virgin with St. Thomas receiving the Virgin's girdle; Christ appearing to St. Mary Magdalene; St. Peter with a key; St. Philip with three loaves; St. Bartholomew with a flaying knife and St. Andrew with a cross. 3. To the right: the Death of the Virgin; St. Paul with a sword; the Incredulity of St. Thomas; St. James the Great with a pilgrim's staff and a purse embroidered with a scallop shell; St. Thomas with a lance and St. Simon with a club. Fragments of what was originally the fourth row, which was cut away when the chasuble was remodelled as a cope, are incorporated in the sides of the vestment, showing heads and shoulders of unidentified apostles. Between the quatrefoils are six-winged seraphs except along the upper edge, where there are the remains of angels holding crowns and the figures of two kneeling clerics. They hold inscribed scrolls. The right hand cleric has worn away so that the base linen with the drawn outlines ready for embroidering is visible. Tiny remnants of thread that was originally silver has worn away to show its white silk core. The orphrey bands and morse are made from pieces of contemporary vestments, presumably added when the chasuble was converted into a cope. The orphrey round the circumference consists of the remains of a stole and maniple with armorial lozenges on squares of red and green alternately. The main orphrey is composed of three joined alb apparels. The morse has had one section cut off. On the one edge of the morse is a decorative braid configuration that looks like frogging. It is echoed on one side of the cope at morse-level. All are of linen embroidered with silver-gilt and silver thread and coloured silks in underside couching, cross and plait stitches. The red and green of the grounds of the quatrefoils have faded considerably so give no impression of what the dominant colour might originally have been, though the disposition of each suggests that red dominated. They are now light green and a soft pinkish orange.  Linen, embroidered with silk, silver-gilt and silver thread.