The stole

2nd quarter of the 14th century, Italian

Item Link at Vienna Art History Museum

Textile; yellow silk: Louisine, patterned with black silk (eagle) and gold threads, pearls, gold-plated silver appliqués with granulation, pit-enamel in silver, cell-enamel in gold, glass stones

L. 599 – 602 cm, W. 21 – 23 cm

The stole is sewn together from a total of eight different sized pieces of the same gold-woven fabric. Most of the black silk eagles have disappeared, leaving only their round medallions framed with double rows of pearls. These alternate with a total of 68 appliqués made of gold-plated silver, which, like the long sides of the stole, are bordered by double pearl cords. All pearl cords and most of the appliqués are lined with parchment to protect the precious silk fabric. The enamels in the appliqués lie on several layers of precisely cut, written paper, which can be dated to the 14th century based on the characters. The stole appears to have been made based on the model of the probably damaged Norman predecessor (or a Hohenstaufen intermediate) – possibly for Louis the Bavarian. What is remarkable is its excessive length, which does not allow it to be worn like a liturgical stole. It therefore appears to have been modeled on the loros worn by the Byzantine emperor – imitated by the Normans in their garb. With the help of mosaic depictions of Roger II and William II in Palermo, the traditional way of wearing the loros wrapped around the shoulder and hip can be reconstructed, which also solves the mystery of the various pieces from which the Viennese stole is sewn together . When sewing these pieces together, attention was paid to the alignment of the eagles so that they always stand upright when wrapped correctly. In any case, the memory of the imperial sash seems to have soon been lost; The stole was equated with that of the priest’s regalia and was worn crossed over the chest despite being too long.