Medieval embroidered cope, Victoria and Albert Museum

Mar. 27 14th Century cope acquired for the nation for 33, 000; The remarkable vestment known as the Butler Bowdon cope has been acquired for the nation for 33, 000 and is now on public view at the Victoria and Albert Museum. It is a very fine example of Opus Anglicanum (English Embroidery) dating from the third decade of the 14th century. The design is embroidered with coloured silks silver gilt and silver thread, pearls and beads, and small metal rings, on crimson velvet. Three concentric zones of arcading, spread over the surface of the vestment, frame three central scenes (the Coronation of the Virgin; the Adoration of the Magi; and the Annunciation) and twenty four standing figures ranged on either side. Between the three arcades, two smaller zones are formed by the spandrels, each of which contains an angel with wings outspread, enthroned and holding a star. The original cophrey (border) and lower border are present. but the morse (fastening) is missing. It is possible to identify the majority of the saints depicted. The vestment has been badly mutilated and at some time was cut up to provide material for a under shaped chasuble; frontal, stole, maniple, and either small objects. These fragments were carefully reassembled during the 19th century and missing portions sketched on a new backing. The needlework is stitched through the velvet ground not worked apart and then applied to it, as became customary a century later. To make such a direct procedure possible the velvet has been overlaid with a thin fabric before embroidering. The inner layer is clearly visible on worn parts. The silk embroidery is mainly in split and satin stitches, French knots, and laid and couched work. Pearls were once present in great quantity, but few have survived; a few green heads simulate jewels as crowns and eyes in the lions masks. The cope is 7 ft, 4 in wide and 5ft 6 in high

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Acquired Apart Arcades Arcading Backing Badly Beads Bowdon Carefully Chasuble Clearly Concentric Contains Cope Couched Crimson Crowns Customary Dating Decade Direct Either Embroidering Enthroned Example Formed Fragments Frontal Identify Jewels Knots Laid Layer Mainly Majority Masks Morse Mutilated Needlework Opus Outspread Overlaid Portions Possible Procedure Provide Quantity Ranged Reassembled Remarkable Satin Silks Simulate Sketched Smaller Split Spread Stitched Stitches Survived Thread Vestment Visible Zones

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