Confirmation from the Seven Sacraments
Tapestry
1470-1475 (made)
1470-1475 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This fragment of a much larger tapestry shows one of the seven sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church: Confirmation. A sacrament is an outward sign of an invisible grace (or spiritual gift) from God through the ministry of his Church. In Confirmation baptised children are made full members of the Church.
The fragment comes from a hanging in which the Seven Sacraments are shown arranged in two horizontal layers, with a central scene of the Apparition of the Holy Spirit. The lower register of the complete tapestry shows scenes of the sacraments with the participants in 15th-century dress. The upper register shows Old Testament prefigurations ('precursors') of the seven sacraments. The seven sacraments include Baptism, Confirmation into the Church as seen here, the Holy Eucharist (partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ at Mass) and Extreme Unction (administered to the dying). Other parts of the tapestry are in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Burrell Collection in Glasgow.
The scene is also interesting in that it shows both ecclesiastical and fashionable dress. The bishop on the right is shown wearing a cope (the cape-like outer garment worn for church ceremonies) and a mitre (a pointed hat worn only by bishops and archbishops). He is cutting the hair of a boy in preparation for his being into the Church. The nobleman at the back (presumably a parent) wears a fashionable headdress and an outer garment with a fur collar.
The fragment comes from a hanging in which the Seven Sacraments are shown arranged in two horizontal layers, with a central scene of the Apparition of the Holy Spirit. The lower register of the complete tapestry shows scenes of the sacraments with the participants in 15th-century dress. The upper register shows Old Testament prefigurations ('precursors') of the seven sacraments. The seven sacraments include Baptism, Confirmation into the Church as seen here, the Holy Eucharist (partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ at Mass) and Extreme Unction (administered to the dying). Other parts of the tapestry are in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Burrell Collection in Glasgow.
The scene is also interesting in that it shows both ecclesiastical and fashionable dress. The bishop on the right is shown wearing a cope (the cape-like outer garment worn for church ceremonies) and a mitre (a pointed hat worn only by bishops and archbishops). He is cutting the hair of a boy in preparation for his being into the Church. The nobleman at the back (presumably a parent) wears a fashionable headdress and an outer garment with a fur collar.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Confirmation from the Seven Sacraments (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Tapestry-woven in wool and silk on a woollen warp |
| Brief description | Tapestry 'Confirmation from the Seven Sacraments' woven in wool and silk, Tournai, 1470-1475 |
| Physical description | Tapestry woven in wool and silk. The tapestry shows the Sacrament of the Confirmation and Old Testament prefigurations of the Sacraments. On the right stands a Bishop, facing right and wearing a mitre and cope, with an open book in his left hand while clipping with shears, with his right hand, the hair of a boy who knees before him. On the left are two kneeling boys and behind them is a man kneeling and one standing. Diapered background. 13 warp threads to the inch. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label | CONFIRMATION from THE SACRAMENTS
This scene of children being confirmed by a bishop belongs to an enormous tapestry now in the Metropolitan Museum, New York, kn which the seven sacraments, with figures in fifteenth century dress, are shown with prefigurations of the sacraments taken from the Old Testament. The prefiguration of Confirmation shows Jacob blessing the children of Joseph.
FLEMISH; probably from TOURNAI; c. 1470-75
Museum number T.131-1931(ca. 2003) |
| Historical context | It should be noted that cutting the hair of children was part of the sacrament at this time, although not familiar today. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | This fragment of a much larger tapestry shows one of the seven sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church: Confirmation. A sacrament is an outward sign of an invisible grace (or spiritual gift) from God through the ministry of his Church. In Confirmation baptised children are made full members of the Church. The fragment comes from a hanging in which the Seven Sacraments are shown arranged in two horizontal layers, with a central scene of the Apparition of the Holy Spirit. The lower register of the complete tapestry shows scenes of the sacraments with the participants in 15th-century dress. The upper register shows Old Testament prefigurations ('precursors') of the seven sacraments. The seven sacraments include Baptism, Confirmation into the Church as seen here, the Holy Eucharist (partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ at Mass) and Extreme Unction (administered to the dying). Other parts of the tapestry are in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Burrell Collection in Glasgow. The scene is also interesting in that it shows both ecclesiastical and fashionable dress. The bishop on the right is shown wearing a cope (the cape-like outer garment worn for church ceremonies) and a mitre (a pointed hat worn only by bishops and archbishops). He is cutting the hair of a boy in preparation for his being into the Church. The nobleman at the back (presumably a parent) wears a fashionable headdress and an outer garment with a fur collar. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.131-1931 |
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| Record created | December 15, 1999 |
| Record URL |
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