Watts & Co. of London's Passiontide Cope

Vestments with imagery of the instruments of the Passion of Christ, which is to say, the Arma Christi, or weapons of Christ, are frequently considered some of the most  unique and most striking works in the historical repertoire of vestment design. Typically such vestments are antique works, because, for whatever reason, these themes haven't as often been requested of contemporary ateliers during modern centuries. Fortunately, Watts & Co. of London were recently commissioned to produce just such a vestment, coming in the form of a red cope; aptly, they call it their Passiontide Cope. Wattt's offers the following detailed commentary on their new, bespoke work:

In Passiontide, the Church turns her gaze fully to the mystery of Christ’s suffering and sacrifice. As a way of contributing to this most solemn liturgy, this cope beautifully reflects in cloth the sacred drama of the season...

Using highly skilled traditional metalwork techniques in a range of silver threads and silks, the imagery was designed in a modern, yet faithful rendering of the Gospel narrative of the Passion.

Every detail has been hand sewn and hand embroidered by our talented workroom team, using the finest materials and guided by a deep reverence for the story they were telling. It is, in every sense, a labour of love.

In the striking frame of the orphreys and morse, crafted in our black ‘Comper Cathedral’ silk damask, passages from the Passion narrative are evoked:

• The cockerel, a reminder of Peter’s betrayal of Jesus on the night He was arrested;
• Jesus’s garment woven from top to bottom, for which the Roman soldiers cast lots at the crucifixion;
• The pillar and scourges, a cruel punishment before the crucifixion;
• The 30 pieces of silver, the price of Judas’s betrayal;
• The crown of thorns woven by the Praetorian guard while Christ was in custody;
• The nails used to attach Jesus to the cross.
• The orphrey of the cope - in black silk with hand-embroidery in silver

On the back, the cope hood presents a radiant and uncompromising summary of the Passion. The pliers and hammer are the tools that fix and remove the nails from the cross, poignant symbols of suffering and reparation. In front of the vinegar-soaked sponge and reed which opened the side of Jesus after His death, the inscription proclaims the divine Victim: Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum — Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.

The Holy Week ceremonies culminate on Good Friday, and this Passiontide cope stands as a fine example of reverent storytelling in cloth. It is a moving visual Passion narrative to enhance the liturgical offices of the solemn season.

Christ's seamless garment, for which the soldier's cast lots

The scourges and the pillar

The cock that crowed after St. Peter's denial of Christ

For more information, we would invite you to visit Watts & Co's website, or you can also find them on social media. 

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