For whatever reason, in the Christian West the Transfiguration is one of those events in the life of Christ that has not received as much liturgical prominence as say the Nativity, the Epiphany, or the Ascension. In fact in the Latin rite it was only in the mid-fifteenth century, under Pope Callixtus III, that the Transfiguration was placed onto the Church's general liturgical calendar at all (coming in response to an important European victory over the Ottoman Empire shortly after the fall of Constantinople). Prior to this time, the Feast of the Transfiguration was only observed on certain local liturgical calendars and it was not even observed on the same day. (By comparison, in the Christian East the Transfiguration has generally been given much greater prominence, being considered one of their "Twelve Great Feasts.")
All of this is by way of background as it no doubt explains why it is rather comparatively rare to come across older Western liturgical art that features the Transfiguration -- and also a good reminder of the importance that the Church's liturgical life has on ecclesiastical art and theology. Think about it; sure there is the famous painting of the Transfiguration by Raphael (painted circa 1520), but that commission came after (and no doubt in response to) its having been made a feast on the general Roman calendar. Prior to that, how many Western medieval depictions can you think of that showcase the Transfiguration of the Lord? Very few. Most of the examples we have come from, as one would expect, the Christian East where, again, it was always a much more prominent feast.
For that reason when I came across an antique Western vestment, in this case a cope, prominently depicting a scene of the Transfiguration, I immediately stopped and took note of it, for if it is generally rare to find this theme depicted in Western sacred art, it is especially so in the realm of sacred vestments where it is nearly non-existent. (A fact that still remains true down to our very own day.) Some might object and point to the so-called "dalmatic of Charlemagne" that is found in the Vatican museums and boasts a scene of the Transfiguration, but despite its labelling and association with the person of Charlemagne, it is actually a medieval Byzantine episcopal vestment called a sakkos that is thought to have been produced in the medieval workshops of Constantinople.
Sadly, I have no real data on this cope, but given the style and the materials used in its construction, it pretty clearly falls into the period that follows shortly after the raising of the Transfiguration to the status of the general feast on the Roman liturgical calendar. As such, like Raphael's painting, I suspect it too is likely a response to the Transfiguration's then new-found, greater liturgical prominence. Personally, I would date this cope to the sixteenth century. The real clue for me is the gold and red silk damask that is used as well as as the red and gold fringing that is found around both the shield and hem of the cope. These elements are both of a style and type that was particularly popular within that period.
As far as the depiction of the Transfiguration itself goes, it appears to have been painted on silk rather than embroidered -- which is yet another clue to this cope's particular vintage as painted silk inserts were another feature of this particular period of history. You will note as well that the form that the depiction of the Transfiguration takes is that of an Eastern (specifically Byzantine) icon. That is probably yet another clue because, as I have just finished noting, in the Latin West this was not an event that was commonly approached in Western art and as a result, Byzantine models were probably the only models from which to draw from at this particular point in history.
The merging of Eastern and Western styles is not always something that can be successfully pulled off (in fact, frequently it comes off as some very 'forced'), but in this particular instance I think it works extremely well, in part because the iconographic depiction adopts a more Western palette of colour.
It really is a shame that Western liturgical art, especially vestment works, haven't embraced the theme of the Transfiguration as much as it has, say, the Nativity, because it is not only an important mystical event in the life of Christ, it can also be a particularly beautiful one.
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