Friday 22 August 2008

Pictures From an Exhibition.

A close up from the St Dunstan Chasuble.

The Leagram Chasuble. 1450.

Close up of the Leagram Chasuble.

Lucca Chasuble close up.

The Lucca Chasuble, 1450-1500, the cloth of gold is from the restoration of 1827.

The St Dunstan Chasuble, mid 1400's, made from a cope into a chasuble in the 1600's.
Dunstan Chasuble close up.

A close up of the Dunstan Chasuble. This shows St Dunstan tweaking the devils nose. It is thought that the restorer had glasses and modelled Dunstan on himself!

Italian High Mass set.

Baroque High Mass set.

Henry VII Chasuble. 1490. Once a cope, it seems, one of 29 commissioned by the King. Taken to the Field of the Cloth of Gold by Henry VIII and one of only this and one cope surviving. Restored in the 1850's.

close up of the Henry VII chasuble.

The Aragon Chasuble, 1534-1536. By tradition, this chasuble and other vestments in the High Mass set were made by Queen Katherine of Aragon when imprisoned in the years before her death.

Fine baroque green chasuble.

Marian chasuble in the Lady Chapel.

A cloth of Gold High mass set.

Close up of the above cope.

There was no information about this stunning High Mass set, to my mind the finest thing exhibited, but that is maybe because it is the only set which is new to me.

The Wintour Red chalice veil. The chasuble, not exhibited, is stunning, but not, I am afraid, to my taste, being rather like this but much bigger.

St Winifrides Chalice Veil. 1610-1640. Made in thanksgiving for a cure at St Winifrides Well in North Wales. St Winifride's Uncle was St Beuno, after whom the famous retreat house in Tremeirchion is named.

A red cope from the Portuguese Embassy Chapel in London. In penal times, the only way of hearing the Mass was to attend a private house, in secret, or the Chapel of an embassy like Spain or Portugal. The Jesuits bought many of these High Mass sets when the Chapels closed down. We used a Portuguese Purple High Mass set when we went to Stonyhurst two years ago.

The Wintour White Chasuble, 1655. Made by Helena Wintour, whose father who was involved in the gunpowder plot.

The St Ignatius Chasuble, 1650-1670.


No irritatingly difficult to play music from Mussorgsky, no reminiscences about a childhood in the east of Europe, no allusions to Russian literature, just some pictures from the 'Held in Trust' exhibition alluded to previously. I do want to go again and I also have a catalogue from the exhibition, so if, for example, you would like more information on anything and do not mind waiting, do let me know. For example, I discovered that, contrary to a much older history which I have, the Henry VII chasuble is taken from a cope, which is interesting, I shall have to do a little more research into that, I think. Some may think that I was harsh on Liverpool in yesterdays post, if so, I am sorry for offending your sensibilities, maybe some of the chorus of complainants will offer me a tour and a sampling of bitters in their city, to try and change my mind! Of course, Fr Lee will need to come as well, having obtained the necessary dispensations!

I know that you will be heartily sick of hearing about my idle holiday days by now, but yesterday was another one. Sorry about that. I went to Lyme Park and then a butchers in Cheadle Hulme to buy some coarsely minced pork for a terrine I am making for the Parish Party this Sunday after Mass. I then picked up a supplement to the Roman Missal, authorised for use in the USA of Eucharistic Prayers for Masses for Special Needs and Occasions, holding interesting EP's for unity, salvation, the Wat to the Father and the Compassion of God. The language is more in common with EP IV that the Roman Canon, but the prefaces begin with language similar to the second Interim Missal which we use for low Mass, 'It is truly right that we give you thanks, it is fitting that we sing of your glory, Father of infinite goodness' as opposed to the second Interim Missals 'It is indeed right and proper, it is our duty and it leads to our salvation that we should always and everywhere give you thanks and praise, holy Father, living and true...'. This prefigures that new translation of the roman Missal coming out soon, if the leak I have is a good indication of this and interestingly these are the prefaces used at the RC Holy Name Church in Manchester for some time, home of Mgr. Bruce Harbert, from the ICEL. So there we are. Heaven and earth rejoiceth.

Yesterday finished in the Moroccan restaurant on Clifton road, just opened in this village of Prestwich, with friends, enjoying a fantastic meal. I had lambs liver kebabs to start, which were beautifully spiced, then a fish tagine, full of chunks of mackerel on the bone in a very rich, intense sauce. We finished with Moroccan cardoman coffee and (french) brandy upstairs in the tented lounge (pictures later!) before going over the road to the Railway and Naturalist pub, as Fr Bryan, vicar of St Marys, was with us and one of his faithful choristers, Sylvia is the landlady. I, alas, had to go home at half ten as I had and early start this morning. No bad thing, as I am out tonight with as motley a band of clergy and FiFWAGS as you can imagine. I feel a lie in tomorrow may be called for! (Carole, you will be glad to know that I am preaching for your grandchild's Baptism, we managed to arrange something, you see, at our working dinner!)

I also yesterday had an indication of where I could go next year, so pray for me that I might make the right choice, for there are a number of choices being suggested. Things are not straightforward. Also pray for Fr Lee, who has choices to make as well.

I have other pictures of the exhibition as well, concerning manuscripts, books and relics, but I shall put them in another post, or this one will get too long and I will have to think too hard about what to write next time, when I drag myself to the magic lantern on Saturday morning. Thank you all for your kind messages recently, I am sorry that I am not always a reliable correspondent, but I get there eventually!