Canoness Regular

This figure is one of a set of 50 dressed to represent the outfits worn by Catholic religious orders. They are made of tow (hemp) with wax heads, hands and feet. They were probably made in France, as they are labelled in French, but some of the orders represented were only active in Germany and the Netherlands.

This figure represents a Canoness Regular of Saint Augustine, also known as an Augustinian or Augustan Canon. The Canon Regulars are one of the oldest religious orders.. They differ from Secular Canons in that they have renounced private wealth in line with the rules of Saint Augustine, hence the alternative name of Augustinian (or Augustan) Canons. The Augustinian Canoness wears a white tunic with a white wimple and rochet over it, and has a black veil.