The Hildesheim Cope

Cope with silk fringe, the embroidery depicting figures of saints undergoing various forms of martyrdom, Germany, 1310-1320. Cope of canvas embroidered with coloured silks in short brick stitches. The design consists of a series of circles intersecting one another so as to form six pointed star shapes separated by spaces between the points, of oval shuttle shape. In these small spaces there are blue dragons with red wings. At the points of the star shapes are appliqued rosettes in couched gold thread - some are missing and reveal the drawing beneath which offered the embroiderer an outline from which to work. The metal thread used for the rosettes is not such good quality as that used for the haloes of the saints as it has corroded more. The star shapes are alternately filled in with red and green grounds, and each contains figures of saints undergoing various forms of martyrdom. They may be identified via their attributes or form of martyrdom (following and querying Kroos, 1970), along the straight edge of the cope and then row by row downwards: Row 1, compartments 1 - 8: 1. martyrdom of a saint in a glowing fire (Christina?) 2. decapitation of a saint 3. decapitation of a saint 4. St Paul 5. St Matthew 6. St Bartholomew (being flayed) 7. St Sebastian (on a cross, pierced by arrows) 8. St Corona. Row 2, compartments 9 - 17: 9. decapitation of a bishop saint 10. sawing up of a saint (St Fausta? according to Kroos) 11. St Philip 12. decapitation of an apostle 13. St Peter (crucified upside down) 14. and 15. St Simon and Judas Thaddeus 16. an apostle bludgeoned with a stick 17. St Catherine (with her wheel). Row 3, compartments 18 - 25: 18. St Peter martyr (also inscription cre[edo]) 19. sawing up of Josiah? 20. St Blaise? 21. St John the Evangelist (in a tub on a fire - he was reputedly thrown in a vat of oil) 22. St Thomas à Beckett (in front of an altar) - Kroos suggests this is St Matthew. 23. St Andrew (but not on a saltire cross - so might be queried) 24. St Dionysius 25. decapitation of a saint. Row 4, compartments 26 - 29: 26. St James the Major 27. St Cyriacus 28. St Stephen (being stoned) 29. St Lawrence (on the gridiron). The cope has been cut about and re-shaped with additions of the orphreys and hood. The orphreys along the front and down the centre of the back are tablet woven in a diaper of red and gold silk with purple and green angular ornaments arranged in rectangular compartments. A small piece of pattern woven textile of metal thread has been inserted at the centre back, above hood. A length of the same textile makes up the middle of a small pointed hood of canvas, with embroidered pieces on each side. Embroidered with red and yellow silks in short stitches with rectangular devices, and edged with tablet woven bands. The border is fringed with coloured silks. Much of silk has disintegrated, thus revealing underlying original drawings of designs. In some areas, the black silk used for the stockings of some of the figures remains, showing just how bold the whole colour scheme originally was. In most cases, the ground fabric is all that is visible. Indeed, the number of 'bare' areas is considerable.  Embroidered in silks on linen, with couched metal thread, pattern woven and tablet woven silk and metal thread, applique.