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Orphrey Cross (Needlework)

A work made of silk, satin weave underlaid with linen, plain weave; appliquéd with silk, satin weave; linen and silk, plain weave with supplementary pile warps forming cut solid velvet; and three-dimensional figures of silk, satin weave; linen, plain weave; and silk, plain weave; embroidered with silk, linen, gilt-metal-strip- and wire-wrapped silk in satin stitch; couching, padded couching, and french knots; painted; glass beads and semi-precious stones.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of silk, satin weave underlaid with linen, plain weave; appliquéd with silk, satin weave; linen and silk, plain weave with supplementary pile warps forming cut solid velvet; and three-dimensional figures of silk, satin weave; linen, plain weave; and silk, plain weave; embroidered with silk, linen, gilt-metal-strip- and wire-wrapped silk in satin stitch; couching, padded couching, and french knots; painted; glass beads and semi-precious stones.

Date:

Late 15th century

Artist:

Southern Germany

About this artwork

This remarkable relief embroidery once decorated the back of a chasuble, the sleeveless overgarment worn by the priest celebrating Mass. The chasuble itself would have been made from a rich silk. The congregation saw this lifelike Crucifixion when the preist consecrated the bread and wine of the Eucharist; at that moment the preist faced the altar with his back to the congregation. The Virgin and saint John the Evangelist are prepresented at the foot of the cross, Saint Peter with his key and Saint Paul with his sword fill its arms, while the top of the embroidery forms an image of the Trinity.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Textiles

Title

Orphrey Cross (Needlework)

Place

Southern Germany (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 1475–1500

Medium

Silk, satin weave underlaid with linen, plain weave; appliquéd with silk, satin weave; linen and silk, plain weave with supplementary pile warps forming cut solid velvet; and three-dimensional figures of silk, satin weave; linen, plain weave; and silk, plain weave; embroidered with silk, linen, gilt-metal-strip- and wire-wrapped silk in satin stitch; couching, padded couching, and French knots; painted; glass beads and semi-precious stones

Dimensions

109.2 × 61.2 cm (43 × 24 1/8 in.)

Credit Line

Emily Crane Chadbourne Fund

Reference Number

1969.789

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.

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https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/32536/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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