The Pope

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 the Pope, the head of the Catholic Church. The wax head does not appear to be a portrait of a specific Pope. Its costume is similar to the 'choir dress' that modern Popes wear to attend services and formal occasions, such as audiences. It consists of a white tunic over which is worn an embroidered linen and lace cotta and a red cape known as the 'papal mozetta' trimmed with white fringe. This represents the fur trimming on the full-size winter mozetta. A stole trimmed with braid is worn over the mozetta along with a gold pectoral cross on a knotted cord. The figure carries a Papal Cross, a staff topped with a crucifix, and wears a three-tiered crown known as the Triregnum or Papal Tiara.