The Anne & Joachim Vestment
The Anne and Joachim Vestment
Current location: Blairs Museum : The Museum of Scotland’s Catholic Heritage
Museum No.T8001.a.b: white chasuble and chalice veil with applied medieval silk embroidery
Description: The vestments are an example of a story vestment which told the life of a saint. In this case the embroidery tells the story of Saint Anne the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The front orphrey shows the figures of St. Anne and St. Joachim. The panel below shows the Virgin visiting St. Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, before the birth of Jesus and the bottom panel depicts the Annunciation with the figures of the Virgin and the Angel Gabriel. The cross orphrey on the back has a central design , possibly taken from a cope hood or an antependium (altar frontal) showing the Virgin on the left , with Jesus in the centre and possibly St. Anne on the right. The left arm of the cross shows the seated figure of a woman with a child who is possibly the young Jesus. The right arm shows the figure of a woman with two young boys, possibly prophesying or foretelling the birth of Jesus. Below the arms of the cross, the panels show St. Anne and St. Joachim at the Golden Gate after the prophesy of the Birth of Christ. And the bottom panel shows them being turned away from the Temple because of their childless state. The chalice veil panel shows the wedding of St. Anne to St. Joachim or possibly that of the Virgin Mary to St. Joseph; the central figure appears to be wearing a papal tiara or possibly a version of the head-dress of a Hebrew high priest. The medieval panels were probably applied to the white Roman shaped chasuble in the 19th century.
Provenance: These embroideries are believed to have been used on a vestment at Aquhorthies seminary near Inverurie (1799-1829) – potentially donated to the seminary by a local Catholic family who would have protected such vestments for the itinerant ‘heather priests.’ In 1829, Aquhorthies was united with the Catholic seminaries of Chapeltown and Lismore, and moved with them to the Blairs Estate. The vestments were transferred into the care of Blairs at the same time.
Material: silk embroidery
Dimensions: 107cm x 71cm (at widest part)
Maker / Artist / Origin: English or Flemish
Date: late 15th – early 16th century panels