Collar of a dalmatic in crimson velvet with appliqué satin and silk cord, showing a shield embroidered with the Five Wounds of the Crucifixion with drops of blood flowing from them.

Collar of a dalmatic. Crimson velvet with applied (appliqué) work of white and yellow satin, which has been tinted in parts with water-colour; edged with white and yellow couched silk cord, stitched down, to outline the various forms of the design. This consists of a scrolled framework to a medallion in the centre, enclosing a shield, upon which are embroidered in close short stitches with red floss silk, the Five Wounds of the Crucifixion with drops of blood flowing from them. On each side of the centre device is a foliated scroll terminating in a cornucopia. There are tying strings of silk ribbon. The collar is edged with red and white fringing.

Collar for a Dalmatic - Bought from Dr Schmidtlein, Royal Hotel Blackfriars for £1 4s.
Acquired in Mexico.

Historical significance: This collar is significant as a example of the impact of the Council of Trent (1545-63) on the design of vestments. While the Council's impact on sculpture and painting is well covered in existing literature on the plastic arts, its interpretation in textiles has largely remained hidden within specialist textile histories (Susan Verdi Webster's work is a recent exception to the rule). This divorce of textiles from the larger picture is unfortunate as priestly appearance was part of the ceremonial around those other more durable objects, and part of the experience of the faithful.

The creation of embroidery and the learning of embroidery skills followed a similar path to that of sculpture and painting, and recently serious research has begun on its professional development in certain local centres (e.g. Marta Laguardia's work on Salamanca). Basically, skills were learnt through apprenticeship in a guild and groups of objects were made according to similar specifications (e.g. the workshop of the sculptor Gregorio Fernandez or that of the painter Francisco Zurbaran). Successful execution of standard imagery was valued (where today 'creativity' and 'originality' are highly prized). In some cases, embroidery was learnt in convents and nuns were skilled needlewomen who could make vestments.

The Museum owns at least 24 Spanish dalmatic collars made in the 16th and 17th centuries, all acquired between 1870 and 1940. They were presumably purchased for their decorative qualities, and the fine embroidery that adorns them. The imagery varies from purely decorative to symbolic. It seems likely that collars may have survived intact longer than other parts of the dalmatic which may have become damaged during church services or been recycled at a later date.

This collar would have complemented a dalmatic, the priestly garment worn by deacons involved in Christian ceremonies. In Spain it became established in the 16th century in place of the amice (Pauline Johnstone. High Fashion in the Church. Leeds: Maney, 2002, p.142). The five wounds gushing blood, embroidered on this collar, represent the Five Wounds of Christ, or the stigmata. These wounds were the marks from his crucifixion - one to each hand and each foot where he was nailed to the cross, and one on his right side where he was pierced with a lance. They drew attention to the suffering he experienced on behalf of mankind. It was probably made in a professional embroidery workshop or in a convent where nuns engaged in the making of ecclesiastical vestments.

Collars such as this one are often depicted in paintings of St Lawrence who died before becoming fully ordained as a Catholic priest; the combination of dalmatic and collar indicate his status as a deacon. Such depictions show that the collar fitted high around the neck of the wearer, curving round the neck so that the maximum height was at the back; the rounded front edges tied together by means of cords attached at each end and completed by a large tassle. Often the imagery or decoration on the collar echoed that of the panels on the front, back and sleeves of the dalmatic, although in miniature because of its size. Good examples appear in two paintings of St Lawrence by Francisco de Zurbaran, the first (1636) is a front view in The Hermitage, St Petersburg and the second (1638-9) is a side view in the Museo Provincial de Bellas Artes, Cadiz. The depth of colour of the dalmatic in the first of these paintings suggests it may represent quite closely the original ensemble which this collar would have complemented. Both are illustrated in Jonathan Brown. Zurbaràn. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1991, pp.24 & 100.

During the Counter-reformation in the second half of the sixteenth century and thereafter, the expression of intense emotion was expressed through a variety of religious artefacts, from painting and sculpture to ecclesiastical vestments. The Council of Trent (1545-63) revitalised religious art in order to arouse religious fervour. The imagery on vestments was therefore part of a wider movement in the plastic arts. For example, in Spain, the great power at the forefront of the Counter-reformation and the likely source of this collar, the Holy Week processions which immediately preceded Easter used sculpture of Christ crucified and taken down from the cross to excite emotion in the ordinary people who lined the streets. For much of the year, these sculptures were kept in their own chapels within churches, where they could be venerated. In such pieces, the agony of Crucifixion was evident because the wounds were so realistically depicted on carefully carved representations of human bodies with horrendous gashes of red wounds. The wounds on this collar are an evocative shorthand of this vivid three-dimensional imagery and would have been easily understood by a largely illiterate popular audience. (See for example some of the work of the Castilian sculptor Gregorio Fernandez in Juan Jose Martìn Gonzalez. Escultura Barroca Castellana. Madrid: Fundaciòn Làzaro Galdiano, 1959, p. 155, Fig. 88 Christ on the cross (Valladolid, Iglesia del Carmen); p. 56, Fig. 89 and 90 Cristo yacente (Segovia Cathedral and Valladolid, Museo Nacional de Escultura Policromada, originally from San Neri, Madrid; p. 157 fig. 91, Cristo yacente (Valladolid, Convento de Santa Ana) For Andalusia, see Susan Verdi Webster, Art and Ritual in Golden-Age Spain. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1998, p. 96, Francisco Antonio Gijòn, Cristo de la Expiraciòn, 1682; p. 115, Fig. 40 Cristòbal de Morales, El entierro de Cristo, early 16th century)

Possibly made around 1550-1630

This collar would have complemented a dalmatic, the priestly garment worn by deacons involved in Christian ceremonies. It is made of red silk velvet, to which has been applied a white satin oval embroidered in brown and red, applied yellow and blue satin scrolling foliage. Yellow cording outlines the appliqué motifs. The collar has a pale pinkish yellow fringe and has lost the cords that were usually attached to the front in order to tie it in place. It was probably made in a professional embroidery workshop or in a convent by nuns. The embroidered Five Wounds of Christ, or stigmata, represent the marks from his crucifixion – one to each hand and foot where he was nailed to the cross, and one on his right side where he was pierced with a lance.

During the Counter-Reformation from the second half of the 16th century, the Catholic Church encouraged the revitalisation of the arts and in particular their role in arousing intense emotion. In Spain, the country at the forefront of the Counter-Reformation, the Holy Week processions which preceded Easter used a sculpture of Christ crucified and taken down from the cross. The agony of Crucifixion was evident because the wounds were so realistically depicted. The embroidered wounds on this collar are an evocative shorthand for this vivid three-dimensional imagery. A largely illiterate popular audience would have easily understood the reference.

601-1892