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Cope with Hood

ca. 1730
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
The luxurious ecclesiastical vestments created in New Spain were masterpieces, entirely embroidered with costly Chinese silk and gold- and silver-wrapped threads. These garments demonstrate the great skill of the Mexican artisans, some of whom were guild embroiderers originally trained by Spanish masters. They also display the enormous wealth the Church invested in these commissions. The large-scale florals, cherubs, and Christian motifs that cover this cope and hood are designed in an opulent European Baroque style. Following Spanish and Italian techniques, the raised surfaces of metallic embroidery provide additional variety and depth and would have sparkled during a candle-lit church service.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Cope with Hood
  • Date: ca. 1730
  • Culture: Mexico
  • Medium: Silk satin embroidered with silk- and metallic-wrapped thread, metallic braid
  • Dimensions: center back length: 53 in (134.6 cm), center back length: 30 in (76.2 cm)
  • Credit Line: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Costume Council Fund
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing