Cope of The Göss Vestments

Background

The cope makes up part of the Göss Vestments.

Materials Used

• Linen ground
• coloured silk thread (blue,yellow, green, rust light brown, white, red)

Stitches and Techniques

The piece is worked in a variety of stitches, including brick stitch, what appears to be a form of counted stem stitch and long-armed cross stitch.

Design

The designs on the cope include the Virgin nursing the Child and symbols representing the Four Evangelists (eagle (John), angel (Matthew), lion (Mark), and bull (Luke)), in circles. The background is patterned with squares containing various quadrapeds, birds and mythical beasts, all within borders of angular ornament. Beneath the large medallion: Kunigunde with a nun, originally part of the chasuble.

The ground colours of the squares alternate between blue, red, green, yellow and violet.

The cope is 143cm by 272cm. The museum number is T 6903/1908.

Individual Pieces

• Chasuble
• Dalmatic
• Altar Frontal

Sources for Further Information

• Schuette, Marie and Muller-Christensen, Sigrid, The Art of Embroidery, (London: Thames and Hudson, 1964)

Detail of cope showing original drawing of design

Detail of inscription on cope