Wilton, Mary Margaret Stanley Egerton; Wilton, Mary Margaret Stanley Egerton [Hrsg.]: The art of needle-work from the earliest ages: including some notices of the ancient historical tapestries (London: Henry Colburn Publishers, 1841)

NEEDLEWORK OF THE DARK AGES.

71

Pope Paschal, early in the ninth century, had
some magnificent garments wrought, which he pre-
sented to different churches. One of these was an
altar-cloth of Tyrian purple, having in the middle a
picture of golden emblems, with the countenance of
our Lord, and of the blessed martyrs Cosman and
Damian, with three other brothers. The cross
was wrought in gold, and had round it a border of
olive-leaves most beautifully worked. Another had
golden emblems, with our Saviour, surrounded with
archangels and apostles, of wonderful beauty and
richness, being ornamented with pearls.
In these ages robes and hangings with crimson
taken literally at random from scores of similar ones. It will give
the reader some idea of the profusion with which the expensive gar-
nitures were supplied:—
“ Sed et super altare majus fecit tetra vela holoserica alithina
quatuor, cum astillis, et rosis chrysoclabis. Et in eodem altare
fecit cum historiis crucifixi Domini vestem tyriam. Et in Ecclesia
Doctoris Mundi beati Pauli Apostoli tetra vela holoserica alithyna
quatuor, et vestem super altare albam chrysoclabam, habentem
historiam Sanctae Resurrectionis, et aliam vestem chrysoclabam, ha-
bentem historian! nativitatis Domini, et Sanctorum Innocentium.
Immo et aliam vestem tyriam, habentem historiam caeci illuminati,
et Resurrectionem. Idem autem sanctissimus Praesul fecit in basi-
lica beatae Mariae ad Praesepe vestem albam chrysoclabam, habentem
historiam sanctae Resurrectionis. Sed et aliam vestem in orbiculis
chrysoclabis, habentem historias Annunciationis, et sanctorum Joa-
chim, et Annae. Fecit in Ecclesia beati Laurentii foris muros eidem
Praesul vestem albam rosatam cum chrysoclabo. Sed et aliam vestem
super sancrum corpus ejus albam destauraci chrysoclabam, cum mar-
garitis. Et in titulo Calixti vestem chrysoclabam ex blattin Byzan-
teo, habentem historiam nativitatis Domini, et sancti Simeonis. Item
in Ecclesia sancti Pancratii vestem tyriam, habentem historiam Ascen-
cionis Domini, seu et in sancta Maria ad Martyres fecit vestem tyriam
ut supra. Et in basilica sanctorum Cosmae et Damiani fecit
vestem de blatti Byzanteo, cum periclysin de chrysoclabo, et mar-
garitis.”—i. 285.