baby's christening cape

baby's christening cape , early 1800s

Where object was made: Spain

Material/technique: embroidering; lace; muslin

Dimensions:
Object Height/Width (Height x Width): 43.5 x 77 cm
Object Height/Width (Height x Width): 17 1/8 x 30 5/16 in

Credit line: William Bridges Thayer Memorial

Accession number: 1928.1045.b

Not on display

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Civic Leader and Art Collector: Sallie Casey Thayer and an Art Museum for KU

Sallie Casey Thayer purchased this fine muslin christening cape with a matching gown in Gibraltar, most likely during a four-month tour of Europe with her son in 1908. Christening garments are often family heirlooms and are traditionally worn by infants during Christian baptism ceremonies.
This christening cape embellished with lace openwork and embroidered peacocks may have once belonged to Spanish nobility. The peacock originated in India and is often symbolic of positive traits such as wisdom, immortality, and glory. It was a common belief in ancient Greece that the flesh of a peacock did not decay after death. Early Christians adopted the peacock motif as a symbol of rebirth and eternal life.

Civic Leader and Art Collector: Sallie Casey Thayer and an Art Museum for KU

Sallie Casey Thayer purchased this fine muslin christening cape with a matching gown in Gibraltar, most likely during a four-month tour of Europe with her son in 1908. Christening garments are often family heirlooms and are traditionally worn by infants during
Christian baptism ceremonies.
This christening cape embellished with lace openwork and embroidered peacocks may have once belonged to Spanish nobility. The peacock originated in India and is often symbolic of positive traits such as wisdom, immortality, and glory. It was a common belief in ancient Greece that the flesh of a peacock did not decay after death. Early Christians adopted the peacock motif as a symbol of rebirth and eternal life.

Throughout her travels, Sallie Casey Thayer collected a variety of textiles, including clothing. Thayer purchased a fine muslin christening gown with a matching cape in Gibraltar, a British Territory on the south coast of Spain. A christening gown is often considered a family heirloom and is traditionally worn by infants during Christian baptism ceremonies. Perhaps Thayer collected this garment for its craftsmanship, evident in the elegantly embroidered peacocks, flowers, and lace openwork. Or maybe she was intrigued by the story associated with gown—it may have once belonged to Spanish nobility.