Opus Anglicanum with particular reference to copes as liturgical show-pieces, ecclesiastical exemplars and Eucharistic exegetes
Abstract
This thesis arose from a need for a re-evaluation of opus Anglicanum, a
somewhat discounted art form which was nevertheless central to the cultural output of
medieval England. It is concerned with looking closely at a couple of important
aspects. First, the available evidence is considered, with a view to exploring whether
long-held assumptions about the subject can actually be substantiated; second, a
detailed study of iconography is made, in an attempt to find an explanation for
particular choices. Among the extant English medieval ecclesiastical embroideries the
great copes, covering the period from c1270 to c1330, offer the most fruitful
opportunities for study. Thus, the focus is on these for general concerns and for more
particular issues four "narrative" copes have been examined in detail. Early
assessment of the gamut of imagery disclosed certain striking features--the
individuality and doctrinal exactitude of the various iconographic programmes, the
singular absence of some central theological themes and the ubiquitous nature of the
angelic presence among the representations--which indicated lines of enquiry and
determined the parameters of study.
In the course of laying out the evidence such primary sources as there are, are
reviewed and assumptions regarding possible workshop practices and issues of
patronage are examined. On the technical side, the manufacture of these precious
embroideries is explored and the vexed question of who was responsible for the
designs is considered. The findings reveal that, contrary to widely held opinion, the
luxury copes were liturgical vestments, with a crucial role to play both within the
service and the meaning of the High Mass itself The cherished belief that the twenty
processional vestments which are known today represent a mere fraction of the original
output is challenged and a diametrically opposed view is put forward - that what there
is, is the greatest part of what there was.
Type
Thesis, PhD Doctor of Philosophy
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