Szilágyi András (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 27. (Budapest, 2009)

Piroska ÁCS: "These Robes Will Appear Like a Vision..."

the preparatory work - determining the material density, producing the peg plans

10 and punching the Jacquard cards. The loom, assembled concurrently with production of the peg plans, designed by one of her colleagues and made in her workshop, had an inner width of 150 cm. After the pure silk yarn had been spun and dyed, production of the brocade for the vestments could begin. The warp and weft density was 45 per centimetre. Each cope was three metres long when laid out and was made without joints, so that the angel motifs, in order that they stand vertically on the garment, were woven on their sides. The saints of the Holy Crown posed an even greater technical problem. Three different heads were included in the 30 cm design repeat, and so across the 150 cm width, the three heads were woven five times simultaneously. The saints, woven in six colours, were made in different colours on each row. The weft density was 45 per centimetre here, too. The ornamental motif connecting the heads came from the stone sarcophagus set up for St Stephen in Székesfehérvár." The representations of the Good Shepherd, St Stephen (fig. 7), St Emeric and St Ladislas on the bishop's copes were made by Gobelin, rather than Jacquard weaving. Display of the robes It was a very large scale job which required considerable expenditure of time. The design stage lasted six months, and the weaving, on the specially-built loom, a further six. The vestments were then made, i.e. cut out and sewn, by the Liturgy Workshop of the Social Mission Society,

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2 which took another two months. The finished garments were inspected and accepted by an expert committee.

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3 They were then put on 7. Image ofSt Stephen, peg plain (MAA, Archives, inv. no. KRTF 800) 129