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Winter Morning Glory

In the chill of winter, I hope these embroidered morning glories warm your spirits!
In my post Recovering What Was Lost, I wrote about the French tabernacle veil I found in a local antique store.  This is one of several other beautiful pieces from the same French flea market.
In her essay on religious symbolism and floral motifs, Cynthia de Giorgio writes "The morning glory, ipomoea tricolour is a popular flower and often depicted in still life paintings but rarely in religious pictures.  Since it opens at dawn it could represent light through which truth emerges."
Our Latin Mass priest identified it for me as a preaching stole.  The backing had been removed, evidently to replace the wool and silk embroidery floss that was lost or damaged.  A restoration project carefully begun came to an unexpected end.  Rheumatics?  An untimely death?  Vatican II?
Heaven knows how many years later, I have picked up the abandoned project and lovingly begun to pull out the worn threads and replace the lost with Madeira silk embroidery floss.
Someday, please God, it will be an ordination gift for another traditional diocesan priest.
The reverse side
For Part III click here.

Source:
de Giorgio, Cynthia. Religious Symbolism and Floral Motifs during the time of the Knights of Malta: The Vestments of the Cotoner Grand Masters, Fondazzjoni Patrimonju, Malta, 2006, p.259

Comments

  1. Marie-JacquelineJanuary 17, 2020 at 10:39 PM

    What a beautiful project! As you know, a century ago women would spend their evenings doing fine needlework. So much better for the woman's soul than what goes on these days! Thanks for the close look at the morning glories and also for the humor - "Rheumatics? An untimely death? Vatican II?" Yes, indeed!

    ReplyDelete
  2. GemmaJanuary 18, 2020 at 8:43 AM

    These lost arts that women once did regularly for the beautification of their churches and homes have now been turned into "crafting". Embroidery is great for the soul!

    ReplyDelete
  3. WillaGJanuary 11, 2021 at 5:23 AM

    May there be a traditional Priest to give it to in your area!

    ReplyDelete

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