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hrjSession 506 -- Dress and Textiles IV: Extant Garments and Furnishings
Three Embroidered Alms Purses: The Process of Production in Paris at the Beginning of the Fourteenth Century (Nancy Feldman)
Ca. 14 alms purses (aumonieres) exist today: relatively small, very decorative, generally with secular scenes embroidered on them. Uses not necessarily for alms, could hold aromatic herbs, small valuable objects, or simply be used for courtly rituals. Subset: "Saracen aumonieres", one requirement is that thread must be silk, not mixture of silk and linen, also something about the use of gold thread.. Images: #1 the story of Griselda riding away from her father / returning home; #2 a man and woman standing under a tree, she holding a small dog, he a ring; #3 man and woman under tree / quarterly with stag, human-headed birds, unicorn in the quarters.
#1 Embroidered as a single piece of fabric, folded at the bottom edge. 6" x 5 5/8". Background of design is couched gold, figures in silk split stitch. Still has full drawstring/carrying string.
#2 Embroidered only on face, back is plain brown velvet. Background is gold underside-couched in lozenge pattern, figures are silk. Small gold knots from tassels are still present along one side.
#3 Ground fabric linen, lined with blue linen, design is drawn on in black ink, the gold threads of the main bodies of the creatures is mostly missing, details, faces, and backgrounds are in silk, background looks like brick stitch. Holes from plunged drawstring are present, but not the string.
Your Mommy Dresses You Funny: A Comparison of Personal and Professional Clothing Construction Techniques in Late Antiquity (Linda M. Blowney)
Examination of Egyptian clothing from the first millennium. (Ref. Frances Pritchard. 2007. Clothing from Egypt in the collegion of The Whitworth Art Gallery, The University of Manchester.) Much of the material derives from Petrie's expeditions but the specific provenance is unclear as they may have been purchased from tomb robbers. Approx. 850 items in collection, much of it undocumented.
What can a study of the hand-stitching techniques of these garments tell us about who made them? Children's garments appear to be home-made while adult garments appear to be professional "off the rack" garments. Adult tunics often have a "tuck" horizontally across the body of the garment, it may indicate a seam with the lower portion woven separately, or may simply be a length adjustment of a continuous piece of fabric.
Four children's tunics examined in detail. Colorful contrasting-color seam stitching (the contrast isn't seen in adult garments). Seams are felled. Raw edges may be blanket-stitched before being combined. Blanket-stitch reinforcement on neck slit or side slit. Small sets of three marks at hem, embroidered, interpreted as "laundry marks"? Use of applique bands of decorative fabrics. (Curved neck facing is shaped by tucking.) One tunic has small applique patch with stitched loop, perhaps for hanging tunic, or for "leash"? Or for attachment of hood?
Adult hand-stitching includes the horizontal tuck, blanket-stitch reinforcement under arm.
Anomaly or Sole Survivor? The Impruneta Cushion and Early Italian Patchwork (Lisa Evans)
Funerary cushion of for Bishop Antonio degli Agli d. 1477 patchwork of silk and wool in circular patterns. Front is designed around 9 eight-pointed stars in silks, back is much simpler lozengy design done in wool. Ca. 30 different fabrics are used, in a symmetric arrangement. Patchwork is reinforced with couched cording. No tassels or piping on edges/corners. Similar geometric designs are seen in mosaics of similar era. Other surviving patchwork is quite rare, see e.g. a Hungarian cloth with lozenges of barry or decorated form. Possible patchwork in painting include a cloth of honor held by angels behind the Virgin that has alternating quatrefoils and gyronny motifs. A hanging in a marriage scene with alternating 8-pointed stars and bands of alternating squares. Painted wall decoration with alternating lozenges separated by strips, painted to show the "corner" turned up to show a vair lining. I.e., the wall painting imitates a cloth hanging. Similar 8-pointed star motifs show up on Spanish stitched carpets.
Three Embroidered Alms Purses: The Process of Production in Paris at the Beginning of the Fourteenth Century (Nancy Feldman)
Ca. 14 alms purses (aumonieres) exist today: relatively small, very decorative, generally with secular scenes embroidered on them. Uses not necessarily for alms, could hold aromatic herbs, small valuable objects, or simply be used for courtly rituals. Subset: "Saracen aumonieres", one requirement is that thread must be silk, not mixture of silk and linen, also something about the use of gold thread.. Images: #1 the story of Griselda riding away from her father / returning home; #2 a man and woman standing under a tree, she holding a small dog, he a ring; #3 man and woman under tree / quarterly with stag, human-headed birds, unicorn in the quarters.
#1 Embroidered as a single piece of fabric, folded at the bottom edge. 6" x 5 5/8". Background of design is couched gold, figures in silk split stitch. Still has full drawstring/carrying string.
#2 Embroidered only on face, back is plain brown velvet. Background is gold underside-couched in lozenge pattern, figures are silk. Small gold knots from tassels are still present along one side.
#3 Ground fabric linen, lined with blue linen, design is drawn on in black ink, the gold threads of the main bodies of the creatures is mostly missing, details, faces, and backgrounds are in silk, background looks like brick stitch. Holes from plunged drawstring are present, but not the string.
Your Mommy Dresses You Funny: A Comparison of Personal and Professional Clothing Construction Techniques in Late Antiquity (Linda M. Blowney)
Examination of Egyptian clothing from the first millennium. (Ref. Frances Pritchard. 2007. Clothing from Egypt in the collegion of The Whitworth Art Gallery, The University of Manchester.) Much of the material derives from Petrie's expeditions but the specific provenance is unclear as they may have been purchased from tomb robbers. Approx. 850 items in collection, much of it undocumented.
What can a study of the hand-stitching techniques of these garments tell us about who made them? Children's garments appear to be home-made while adult garments appear to be professional "off the rack" garments. Adult tunics often have a "tuck" horizontally across the body of the garment, it may indicate a seam with the lower portion woven separately, or may simply be a length adjustment of a continuous piece of fabric.
Four children's tunics examined in detail. Colorful contrasting-color seam stitching (the contrast isn't seen in adult garments). Seams are felled. Raw edges may be blanket-stitched before being combined. Blanket-stitch reinforcement on neck slit or side slit. Small sets of three marks at hem, embroidered, interpreted as "laundry marks"? Use of applique bands of decorative fabrics. (Curved neck facing is shaped by tucking.) One tunic has small applique patch with stitched loop, perhaps for hanging tunic, or for "leash"? Or for attachment of hood?
Adult hand-stitching includes the horizontal tuck, blanket-stitch reinforcement under arm.
Anomaly or Sole Survivor? The Impruneta Cushion and Early Italian Patchwork (Lisa Evans)
Funerary cushion of for Bishop Antonio degli Agli d. 1477 patchwork of silk and wool in circular patterns. Front is designed around 9 eight-pointed stars in silks, back is much simpler lozengy design done in wool. Ca. 30 different fabrics are used, in a symmetric arrangement. Patchwork is reinforced with couched cording. No tassels or piping on edges/corners. Similar geometric designs are seen in mosaics of similar era. Other surviving patchwork is quite rare, see e.g. a Hungarian cloth with lozenges of barry or decorated form. Possible patchwork in painting include a cloth of honor held by angels behind the Virgin that has alternating quatrefoils and gyronny motifs. A hanging in a marriage scene with alternating 8-pointed stars and bands of alternating squares. Painted wall decoration with alternating lozenges separated by strips, painted to show the "corner" turned up to show a vair lining. I.e., the wall painting imitates a cloth hanging. Similar 8-pointed star motifs show up on Spanish stitched carpets.
