As we find ourselves now at the beginning of Lent, it seems like a good opportunity to meditate on this season by sharing a few chasubles that prominently use crucifixion scenes within their orphreys. Some of these examples come in violet, another in rose, thus fitting the liturgical colours of the season, but I've opted to not strictly limit ourselves to these colours, as the real purpose here is simply a meditation upon the crucifixion as found within vestment design.
Most of these examples come from the fifteenth century, a time when this crucifixion motif was evidently very popular in vestment work.
With all of that in mind, we wish all of our readers a joyful and profitable Lenten season, and I hope that these examples will be of some edification as your begin this pilrgimage of preparation leading us toward Easter.
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| Date unknown. Likely 15th century. |
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| First half of the 20th cent. |
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| English manufacture, ca. 1500-1525 |
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| English manufacture, ca. late 15th-early 16th cent. |
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| ca. 16th cent. |
Moving beyond our violet and rose examples now, here are a few further examples coming in green and red liturgical colours.
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| Polish, late 15th cent. |
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| Hungarian manufacture, ca. 15th cent. |
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| Bohemian, ca. 1600 |
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| Florentine manufacture, 1475 |
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| English manufacture, ca. third quarter of the 15th cent. |
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| ca. 1513-1518 |
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| Moravian, late 15th cent. |
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| English, 16th cent. While it looks more orange today, it was likely more red originally. |
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| German, 15th cent. (See comment above). |
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