Cope

Fragments of a cope, pieced together. The orphreys, hood and side fronts are missing. Red (faded) silk in twill weave, embroidered with silver-gilt and silver thread and coloured silks in underside couching and split stitch, with details in laid and couched work. The shape of the pieces suggests that the cope was cut up into an altar frontal or dossal and chasuble.

Iconography. The embroidery depicts the Tree of Jesse; a vine, springing from the body of Jesse, and sheltering prophets and ancestors of Christ. The name of each figure is embroidered in lettering, thus allowing identification of Jesse (IESSE), David (DAVIT), Solomon (SALOMON), The Virgin and Child (originally directly below the hood), Abraham (ABRAHAL PPHE), Abia (ABIAS REX), Roboam (ROBOAS REX), Zorobabel (ZOROBABEL), Eliakim (ELIAKIM PPHE), Jacob (IACOB PPHE), Moses (MOYZES PPHE), Jeremiah (JEREMIAS PPHE), A prophet (... PPHE), Pharez (PHARES PPHE), Isaiah (ISAYE PPHE), Daniel (DANIEL... )