More medieval vestment recycling, this time in Lincolnshire

Careby, St Stephen, Lincolnshire, Detail of Medieval Cope, showing Assumption of the Virgin

Another medieval vestment for you. Careby in Lincolnshire has the remarkable remains of a late fifteenth century cope. It is decorated with embroidered seraphs and this particularly lovely Assumption in the centre. The background is a glorious red silk velvet, a lot of velvets were used in medieval vestments, why do we not use them these days? Anyway the vestment must have been luxuriously rich when first made. Part of the cope survived as it was converted into the 'decent carpet' to cover the communion table, which was required by the rubrics of the Book of Common Prayer.

With many thanks to Gordon Plumb's photostream for this lovely photo, not easy to achieve as the panel is behind glass.

Comments

Gordon said…
Allan

A lovely fragment - difficult to photograph, and I had to do a certain amount of work in Photoshop to remove reflections. But worth it!

Gordon
She's delightful! It seems ironic that a "decent carpet" would have a depiction of the Assumption on it, though.
Allan Barton said…
Well worth it Gordon. I must go and see the piece myself at some stage.

Billy, isn't it ironic, particular as it takes the central place on the frontal. Oddly that sort of thing didn't seem to bother them. The disassociation of the imagery from the cultic context seems to have been sufficient.

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