Opus Anglicanum: English Medieval Embroidery

Stunning exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum of medieval English luxury embroidery work.

I’ve always been fascinated in this period in art because of studying medieval history at university. My degree didn’t really look at the visual arts and was very document based, but I’ve realised since how much you can learn about a group of people by looking at their art. It’s difficult to see much English art of this period because the reformation and Cromwell destroyed so much of it.

A lot of the embroidery that has survived was actually from abroad. This work was very highly prized and a lot was commissioned by the Popes to give as gifts. It was fascinating to look at where works had been lent from.

The pieces in this show were stunning. From the first piece you see the “Bologna Cope” I was hooked. This piece was in near perfect condition and beautifully displayed so you could study the iconography of it in detail. It had the birth of Christ round the edge and the Passion in the middle, with a stray Thomas Becket on the end of the edge. It included a fabulous Massacre of the Innocents complete with a baby on a pike! I also loved the Syon Cope with a Coronation of the Virgin with Christ and Mary sat on a long throne that looked like a garden bench.

There were iconic objects such as a heraldic horse cover made for Edward II, a bishops stockings and shoes and the Black Princes surcoat. I also liked some of the odd facts such as that the royal armourer was often an embroider and how time saving practices came in after the Black Death.

Closes on 5 February 2017

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