Stole and Maniple thumbnail 1
Stole and Maniple thumbnail 2
+4
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Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Medieval & Renaissance, Room 9, The Dorothy and Michael Hintze Gallery

This object consists of 2 parts, some of which may be located elsewhere.

Stole and Maniple

1300-25 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The stole was first worn in western Europe by Roman Catholic priests in the sixth and seventh centuries. It is a long narrow band which usually has a device at each end and a cross at the neck, and is worn round the neck under the upper vestment and over a long white robe called an alb.

During the Middle Ages, the way in which the stole was worn identified different ranks of clergy, from lowliest to most powerful. Deacons wore it over the left shoulder and tied at the right side; priests wore it round the neck with the ends crossed on the breast and held in place by the girdle of the alb, or hanging straight down if it was worn with the ungirdled surplice. Bishops wore the stole hanging straight down the front (because their albs were ungirdled).


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Stole
  • Maniple
Materials and techniques
Embroidered with coloured silks in plait stitch on linen edged with later green silk braid and fringe
Brief description
linen embroidered in polychrome silks in a heraldic pattern, 1300-25, English
Physical description
Linen embroidered with green, white, fawn and blue silks in long-armed cross-stitch with a design of heraldic shields in rectangular compartments with alternating green and fawn grounds. (The fawn was probably originally red). Edged with green silk. Worn blue and fawn fringes at the ends. Backed with orange silk.
Dimensions
  • Height: 261cm
  • Width: 9.5cm
  • Depth: 0.5cm
Measured for the Medieval and Renaissance Galleries 2006
Style
Production typeUnique
Object history
Lent by Miss Weld of Leagrum to the 'Exhibition of English Embroidery executed prior to the middle of the 14th century', organized by the Burlington Fine Arts Club in 1905. Bought by the Museum in 1950 for £52.10.00d. Described as 'in good conditions, rather faded, some silk missing'.

Historical context
The stole and maniple are two of the Eucharistic vestments, or special garments worn by the clergy and their assistants during the liturgical ceremony of the Mass. They may be made of the same textiles as the chasuble or dalmatic, or they may be embroidered to complement them, the patterns often being geometric. They are worn under the chasuble or dalmatic (with some exceptions). During the Middle Ages the way in which the stole was worn identified different ranks of clergy: deacons wore it over the left shoulder and tied at the right side; priests wore it round the neck with the ends crossed on the breast and held in place by the girdle of the alb, or hanging straight down if it was worn with the ungirdled surplice; bishops wore the stole hanging straight down the front (because their albs were ungirdled).(Pauline Johnstone. High Fashion in the Church. Leeds: Maney, 2002, p. 17-18).

The stole is a long narrow band (about 12 cm wide, and long enough to go round the neck of the wearer and reach his feet). It usually has a device at each end and a cross at the neck. According to Herbert Norris, the stole developed from the Roman sudarium (a linen cloth carried around the neck and used for wiping the face), the word stola being adapted from the ninth century onwards for this item. By the twelfth century it had achieved its current form and often had fringes at the ends, rectangular or triangular pieces of embroidery. During the Middle Ages stoles were worn at almost all liturgical functions, and crosses were nearly always incorporated into the pattern. (Herbert Norris. Church Vestments. Their Origin and Development. London: J.M.Dent & Sons Ltd, 1949, pp. 88-91.)

The maniple was originally a towel which was carried over the arm (the mappa, a plain linen napkin used by the Greeks and Romans at meals for wiping the mouth and hands). From the earliest times in the Church it was used by the priest to wipe the communion vessels and hands at celebrations and was attached to the left wrist. Its form changed over the centuries, and it lost its functional value. By the tenth century it was embellished with embroidery, and often had a fringe at the edges, and by the twelfth century it had widened at its extremities, forming two slightly pronounced flaps, like the stole ends. It is worn over the left arm. (Norris, pp. 92-94)
Production


Summary
The stole was first worn in western Europe by Roman Catholic priests in the sixth and seventh centuries. It is a long narrow band which usually has a device at each end and a cross at the neck, and is worn round the neck under the upper vestment and over a long white robe called an alb.

During the Middle Ages, the way in which the stole was worn identified different ranks of clergy, from lowliest to most powerful. Deacons wore it over the left shoulder and tied at the right side; priests wore it round the neck with the ends crossed on the breast and held in place by the girdle of the alb, or hanging straight down if it was worn with the ungirdled surplice. Bishops wore the stole hanging straight down the front (because their albs were ungirdled).
Bibliographic references
  • Exhibition of English Embroidery executed prior to the middle of the 14th century, cat. Burlington Fine Arts Club, 1905, pp. 51-54.
  • English Heraldic Embroidery and Textiles at the Victoria and Albert Museum : A select list with introduction, by Clara Lamb, Robert M Collins and Cedric J Holyoake, London, 1976
  • Browne, Clare; Davies, Glyn; Michael, M.A,English Medieval Embroidery: Opus Anglicanum,exhibition catalogue, London, Victoria and Albert Museum (London, 2016), p.170.
Collection
Accession number
T.40&A-1950

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Record createdJanuary 11, 2007
Record URL
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