NOTES
This semicircle of embroidered linen shows telltale signs of reuse like patching and truncated decoration. The textile used to fashion this cope, a cape-like Christian church vestment, was probably made in Skyros, an island in present-day Greece. Colorful silk threads were used to embroider stylized floral and animal motifs on household items like bedspreads and cushion covers across the Greek Islands. Skyros was ruled by the Venetians for several hundred years, which might explain the similarity of the island's embroidery designs with those in Italian pattern books.
The repurposing of precious textiles for religious use was a frequent practice among Christians, Muslims, and Jews. Vestments and altar cloths, prayer mats, and Torah curtains, binders, and covers of this period are often made from expensive dress silks and lovingly embroidered domestic textiles.
