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Cope

A work made of silk, satin weave cut pile-on-pile solid velvet.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of silk, satin weave cut pile-on-pile solid velvet.

Date:

c. 1500

Artist:

Italy, Venice

About this artwork

This luxurious expanse of velvet and embroidery is a cope, a type of priestly vestment. Because its heaviness and flared shape restricted the use of the arms, the garment was worn mostly for processions. This example no longer has the richly embroidered band that outlined the front edges when draped over the priest’s shoulders or the central, decorative hood. However, the quality of the silk fabric itself speaks to the priest’s status. Two distinct layers of velvet pile create the design of crowns, rosettes, and knots, and the deep crimson color was produced by a costly imported dye called kermes.
-The Deering Family Galleries, Medieval and Renaissance Art

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Textiles

Title

Cope

Place

Venice (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Made 1490–1510

Medium

Silk, satin weave cut pile-on-pile solid velvet

Dimensions

119.6 × 282.1 cm (47 1/8 × 111 1/8 in.); Repeat: 41.3 × 29.8 cm (16 1/4 × 11 3/4 in.)

Credit Line

Kate S. Buckingham Endowment

Reference Number

1951.52

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/74808/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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