For those familiar with the Cambridge Latin Course, you may recall that Caecilius pavonem gustat—for those not acquainted with the course, the pavonem, or peacock, does not fare well in this narrative. Instead, the peacock is served on a dinner plate, very much deceased, to be dined on by Caecilius and his guests.
Whilst this might seem an unusual way to begin this blog, there is something deeply symbolic about the deceased peacock that remains tangible to us as Christians. Believed to have originated in India, the primary tradition of the peacock represented royalty and power, a symbolism that continued in Greek mythology. By the 5th century BC, the peacock became the sacred bird to Hera, the queen of the gods and wife of Zeus, who would send Argus to watch for Zeus’ infidelities with his hundred eyes. After Argus’ murder, Hera set his eyes on the tail of a bird as a tribute, whereafter, the new creation, a peacock. By the time of Roman Antiquity, this all-watching, regal creature was believed to be immortal. Specifically, the flesh of peacocks was supposed to not be subject to decay even after death.
Pompeiian Fresco, Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli
It is this culmination of iconographies that was subsumed and developed by the early Christian tradition, where the understanding that the peacock’s death was not final was echoed in the Resurrection and ultimate majesty of Christ. According to the connotations, the symbol of the peacock was commonly found with great vigour in Roman Christian catacombs as early as the 4th century AD. The earliest known example can be seen in a fresco in the Catacomb of Priscilla.
Fresco from Catacomb of Priscilla, Rome
The influence of this earlier Greco-Roman tradition on Christian theology is understood more fully in St. Augustine’s The City of God:
For suitable properties will be communicated to the substance of the flesh by Him who has endowed the things we see with so marvellous and diverse properties, that their very multitude prevents our wonder. For who but God the Creator of all things has given to the flesh of the peacock its antiseptic property? This property, when I first heard of it, seemed to me incredible; but it happened at Carthage that a bird of this kind was cooked and served up to me, and, taking a suitable slice of flesh from its breast, I ordered it to be kept, and when it had been kept as many days as make any other flesh stinking, it was produced and set before me, and emitted no offensive smell. And after it had been laid by for thirty days and more, it was still in the same state; and a year after, the same still, except that it was a little more shrivelled, and drier.
Carved relief from Santa Maria Assunta cathedral, Venice
This renewed understanding led to the peacock being lifted from tomb sculptures and catacomb frescoes and reimagined in more lively ecclesiastical contexts, such as baptismal settings—and eventually, to the iconography of mosaics and liturgical arts beyond. It is this development of the meaning of the peacock from Paganism to Christianity that our Westminster Cope in Black/Gold 'Van Der Weyden' with Peacock Embroidered Hood and Orphreys understands. Our cope, executed in the luxurious ‘Comper Cathedral’ silk damask, lined with gold cotton sateen, with orphreys in our ‘Bellini’ silk damask in Oyster/Old Gold, and surmounted by our exquisitely embroidered hood, is nothing short of a celebration. It is a celebration of the continued tradition of the peacock iconography, of the handcrafts passed down through generations, and, ultimately, of the Resurrection we are promised as people who follow in the image of Christ.
The peacock cope being hand-sewn in the Watts & Co. workroom.
This potent symbolism is central to the composition of our embroidered cope hood, featuring two majestic peacocks rendered with rich, vibrant silk threads that burst forth from the hood with dynamism. Whilst one peacock gazes eastward in a poised arc, the other looks westward, utilising a fire-like composition to synthesise the duality of Christ: the dichotomy of his spiritual, divine ascent rising in the east and the grounding of his human mortality in the west. The composition of the hood further conveys Christ’s central position in our understanding of the Resurrection, with the two peacocks framing a large gold-embroidered Chi-Rho—the significance of which has been discussed previously in our blogs—it is almost as if the birds themselves are partaking in the sacred mystery of Christ’s presence.
Moreover, as the tail feathers sweep outward in a dramatic flourish, the undying peacocks anchor the design and guide the viewer’s eye across the hood, embracing tiny flourishes of foliage and delicate purple flowers nestled among the feathers, which seem to hint at the tangibility of the paradise enjoyed in eternal life. Embroidered in hues of sapphire blue, emerald green, gold, and flashes of violet, the peacocks become more than compositional agents—their vibrancy only further enhances the resonant vivacity of Resurrection, immortality and the incorruptible nature of the soul. Each feather is individually shaded and stitched to suggest the iridescent shimmer characteristic of peacock plumage but is dispersed with gold thread, not only creating naturalistic highlights but also emphasising the divine nature of the bird, further echoing the vivacity and majesty of Christ and our ultimate Resurrection. Thus, their presence transforms this cope hood into a visual meditation on Resurrection and divine beauty, elevating the garment from mere ceremonial attire to a profound theological statement.
As such, the peacocks of modern Christianity follow this extensive historical tradition and remain to this day a symbol understood to represent eternal life, as promised by Christ’s sacrifice, as we understand in the communion of Christ’s blood and body. Therefore, much like Lucius Caecilius Iucundus and his friends in AD 14–62 Pompeii, we gather around Christ’s table and, in partaking in communion, share in the immortal flesh of the peacock.
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