Article cover
Essay

Open Access

Cloth of Honour: Tracing a Term in the Vocabulary of Art and Textile History

Rembrandt Duits

Published online:

8. June 2026

Abstract

This article discusses the meaning and historiography of the phrase “cloth of honour”, which is frequently used in both art and textile history to indicate a drapery suspended as a status marker behind a person of importance. It argues that this phrase was repurposed from Renaissance sources for specific application in the description of paintings. It demonstrates who was responsible for this repurposing and how and when the phrase became more widely employed. It also examines the phrase’s original meaning and possible period alternatives. Thus, it contributes to our understanding of the emergence of a practical critical vocabulary in the discipline of art history and clarifies the background of a specific term within it.

Other articles in this issue:

Zeitschrift für Kunstgeschichte Issues

Volume 89 (2026)
Volume 88 (2025)
Volume 87 (2024)
Volume 86 (2023)
Volume 85 (2022)
Volume 84 (2021)
Volume 83 (2020)
Volume 82 (2019)
Volume 81 (2018)
Volume 80 (2017)
Volume 79 (2016)

Get instant, unlimited access to this journal

Related titles

Would you like to receive monthly information about new publications and events?

DKV
EUR
English

Deutscher Kunstverlag

Genthiner Straße 13

10785 Berlin

+49 (0)30 / 27 90 76 - 0

Neumarkter Straße 28

81673 München

Contact us for book orders