Page:Textile fabrics; a descriptive catalogue of the collection of church-vestments, dresses, silk stuffs, needle-work and tapestries, forming that section of the Museum (IA textilefabricsde00soutrich).pdf/431



tree blossomed with red flowers: the apparel across the breast is inscribed with the names, in large blue letters, of "Jhesus," "Maria." Half way down the back hangs, transversely, a shield of arms quarterly, one and four gules, two bars argent, between seven fleurs-de-lis, or, three, two, and two; two and three, sable two bars, argent: as a crest, a full-forward open-faced helmet, with six bars all gold, surmounted by a pair of horns barred sable and argent, with mantlings of the same. This blazon, according to English heraldry, would indicate that the giver of this splendid vestment—and very likely it was only one of a large set—could boast, by showing the golden five-barred full-forward helmet, of royal blood in his pedigree, and was not lower than a Duke in title. Dr. Bock has figured this finely-preserved dalmatic in his "Geschichte des Liturgischen Gewänder des Mittelalters," 4 Lieferung, pt. vii. fig. 1.

8354.

A Cope of Crimson Raised Velvet; pattern of the so-called pomegranate design. The orphreys and hood embroidered on a golden ground; the latter with the death of the Blessed Virgin Mary; the former, with various saints. Velvet, Spanish, the embroidery, German, both of the end of the 15th century. 10 feet 8 inches by 5 feet 8 inches.

The velvet, both for its ruby tone and richness of pile, is remarkable, while its design of the pattern is efficiently shown.

The hood which, it should be observed by those curious in liturgical garments, runs right through the orphreys quite up to the neck, is an elaborate and well-wrought piece of needle-work; and strongly reminds one of the picture of the same subject—the death-bed of the Mother of our Lord—by Martin Schön, now in the National Gallery. All the Apostles are supposed to be gathered round her; to the right of the spectator stands St. Peter sprinkling her with holy water from the silver sprinkle in his right hand; next to this chief celebrant is St. John, the acolyte, with the holy water stoop in his left hand, and in his right the lighted taper, which he is about to put into the hand of his adopted mother—an emblem of the lighted lamp with which each wise virgin in the Gospel awaited the coming of the bridegroom. Behind him again, and with his back turned, is another apostle, blowing into the half-extinguished thurible, which he is raising to his mouth; the rest of