'Hic est primo ornatus feminae'
Created | Updated Oct 21, 2005
In the autumn of 1922 at an auction at Christie's in New York an item of clothing by the name 'Eve's Mantle' was put up for sale. The catalogue stated that the dress came with an authentic certificate, a strip of parchment from the 13th century on which were written by hand the words 'Hic est primo ornatus feminae'. A representative of the law firm Baker, Bots & Baker did the bidding on behalf of a client who wished to remain anonymous and purchased 'Eve's Mantle' with the strip of parchment for the total sum of $122.000,000.
Art historians and historians commented in the newspapers on the "ridiculous high price for a worthless rag". The director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art who was quoted by New York Times called the sale of the item of clothing at Christie's a hoax, "an unneccessary reminder of the craze in Medieaval Europe for religious relics by naive priests to serve the needs of religeous bigots that inspired ruthless merchants and pontiffs alike in their greed for money". He denied the existance in the Roman Catholic Church of a relic by te name of 'Eve's Mantle'.
Count de Riants 'Exuviae Constantinopolitanea', nor the inventory of religious relics in the main catholic churches of Europe in Italy, Germany and France, a list published by Mgr. Barbier de Monault's in 'Oeuvrès Complètes' mention the existance of a relic by the name of 'Eve's Mantle'.
Art historians and historians commented in the newspapers on the "ridiculous high price for a worthless rag". The director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art who was quoted by New York Times called the sale of the item of clothing at Christie's a hoax, "an unneccessary reminder of the craze in Medieaval Europe for religious relics by naive priests to serve the needs of religeous bigots that inspired ruthless merchants and pontiffs alike in their greed for money". He denied the existance in the Roman Catholic Church of a relic by te name of 'Eve's Mantle'.
Count de Riants 'Exuviae Constantinopolitanea', nor the inventory of religious relics in the main catholic churches of Europe in Italy, Germany and France, a list published by Mgr. Barbier de Monault's in 'Oeuvrès Complètes' mention the existance of a relic by the name of 'Eve's Mantle'.
