A mysterious hood

Saint Luke Drawing the Virgin, c. 1435-1440. 137.5 x 110.8 cm on panel. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, USA.

A few weeks ago one of the Dutch newspapers commented on a painting by the Flemish medieval artist Rogier van der Weyden: St. Luke drawing the Virgin (1435-1440) (the original painting now resides in the Boston Museum of Fine Art; some medieval copies are in München, Bruges and the Hermitage in St. Peterburg). In the background of the painting a couple can be seen staring at the river. The newspapers wondered what the couple were looking at and what they were saying to each other. However my eye fell to the headdress of the man. The long liripipe suggests that he is wearing a hood. But is he also wearing a hat over it? Or is the black part actually the inside of the hood. And if this is the case, how does he actually wear his hood. I immediately rushed to my own hood to try this out, much to the amusement of Anne, Bram and Katinka. I must confess that I did not succeed in figuring out how the hood was worn.

The man wearing the hood in a mysterious way. Detail of the painting by Rogier van der Weyden.

Some days later I found another image in an early 15th century medieval manuscript of a man wearing the hood in a similar way. This suggests that this way of wearing the hood was more common. Has anyone an idea how this was done?

Les comédies de Terence. Ms Latin 664, folio 181v. Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal, Paris, France. Around 1410.

p.s. Some other ways of hood wearing can be found on the Tacuinum Medievale blog or alternative hood use on this blog.

Medieval clothing (and something else) from Vienna - part 3

This time I will show photos I made from the Imperial Treasury in the Höfburg, the MAK (Museum für Angewandte Kunst) and the Kunstkammer in the Kunst Historische Museum. Especially the Imperial treasury did have a stunning collection of medieval clothing, including gloves and socks. This set of medieval clothes was actually the coronation dress of King William II of Sicily, which later were used for the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire (also the other regalia can be seen in the treasury).

Starting with the underwear, the Alba of the coronation clothes was made in 1181 in Palermo - according to the embroidered text on the cloth in both Latin and Arabic - for King William II. It is worn underneath the Dalmatica. As I could not make a decent photo of it, this one was retrieved from internet.

 

Over the Alba, the Dalmatica, also called blue Tunicella, was worn. The gown was also made in Palermo, Sicily in 1140 and belongs to the coronation clothing, and later of that of the emperors of the Holy Roman Empire. It is made of dark blue Samite silk; the red silk at the end of the arms and the underside of the gown is the same cloth as coronation mantle, decorated with rows of pearls and gold embroidery.

Detail of the arm of the blue Dalmatica.

The coronation mantle or Pluviale is worn over the blue Tunica. It was also made in Palermo in the Royal Workshop around 1133/1134. The mantle is made from red Samite silk with gold silk embroidery, pearls, enamel, filigree gold, precious stones and a tablet weave at the edge.

The hands were covered with gloves. These were made in Palermo, Sicily, Italy before 1220 from Samite silk and decorated with gold embroidery, enamel, niello, pearls and precious stones. They are part of the coronation clothes. The front (right) and back (left) of the gloves are shown.

The legs were covered with stockings or short hose. These were made from red Samite silk with embroidery of gold thread around 1150-1200 in the Court workshop in Palermo. The hose have a length of 60 cm and a diameter of 34 to 40 cm. The silk bands used to tighten are a later addition.

The feet and hose were covered by the shoes, also made from red Samite silk around 1130 or around 1220. The top of the shoes show a broad band of gold cloth covered with precious stones (in total 5 sapphires, 4 amethysts and one emerald) and medallions of griffins and sirens. The shoes have a length of 26 cm and a height of 10.8 cm, which equals size 41 in the Netherlands (or the UK size 7). The sole is made of leather. Also here I used a better photo from internet.

The Eagle Dalmatia is like the blue Tunicella worn over the Alba. This gown, decorated with eagle medallions, was first mentioned in 1350 and is likely made around 1300 from Chinese damask (the fabric shows a Chinese cloud pattern) and black silk. The gold embroidered edges are made from damask silk. The (imperial) eagle medallions are stitched with black silk thread and have enamel eyes. Originally also a hood belonged to this gown, which was lost when these clothes were transported from Nürnberg to Vienna.

Not really clothing, but an accessory to put on clothing, although there is actually some clothing on this brooch. The brooch is Burgundian-Dutch and dates around 1430-1440. It is made from gold, enamel, precious stones and pearls.

These are 16th century Italian pontifical stockings made from red silk with gold embroidery. On display in the MAK.

Thes are images from the Vienna model book of around 1410. This booklet with a leather case contains many silverpoint drawings on paper of animals, men and godly creatures. The model book was used by painters as some sort of reference book. Some of the drawings show different types of head-wear, such as those shown in this photo. Kunstkammer, Kunst-Historisches Museum.

This is the complete set of the model book with leather casing. Photo from the KHM.

 

 

In the Kunstkammer of the Kunst-Historisches Museum was a late 15th century bust of a female by Francesco Laurana with an intricate hair net with (gold) latticework decorated with red flowers. The bust could perhaps depict Ippolita Maria Sforza or her daughter Isabella.

Also in this museum is a statue of 'vanitas' by Michel Ehrhart, made from linden wood around 1470-1480. It figures a young couple and an old wife. What is most intriguing is that the only piece of clothing is a piece of male string underwear (both women are naked), fastened with a bow! 

Finally, something else:  

 

This 15th century 'Saintly' beer glass was also on display in the MAK. Cheers Thomas!

Medieval clothing from Vienna part 2

Continuing the story of the medieval clothing in Vienna, the next 'museum' to visit was the Stephansdom. This cathedral has some special rooms containing the treasury of the church, for a large part paintings of the 14th century. While most of the saints wear old-fashioned gowns, some images show the 'normal' close fitting 14th century dress.

The blessed Virgin with Jesus and a pea flower. Westphalian, end of the 14th century.

North Italian triptych. First quarter of the 14th century. Though quite small in this photo, the soldiers wear the costumes of this time period.

 A cycle of seven panel paintings around 1420. (1) The passing of Maria, with the apostles present. (Reputedly St. Thomas was not present at Maria's death, but instead was the only one to see her ascend into heaven - with the presentation of Maria's girdle to him by an angel)

(2) St. Catharina with her attribute the wheel and St. Barbara with the three windowed tower. (3) Saint Andrew with the cross and St. Eligius with the bishop staff and church building.

(4) Possibly St. Mary Magdalene with the jar of spikenard and St. Ursula with the arrow. (5) St. Agnes with a lamb and possibly St. Margareth with the dragon/devil.

 (6) This is Saint Thomas with his spear. Next to St. Thomas is an unknown bishop saint with his fingers pierced by sharp needles.

The next seven images are a cyclus of seven panel paintings from around 1390. (1) This panel contains the Holy Family visited by the three three magi (Balthasar, Caspar and Melchior). It happened that Saint Thomas later encountered Balthasar during his travels in India and had him baptised.

(2)  St. Ursula and the slaying of the virgins. The knight in front is wearing a fashionable knightly belt low on the hips. (3) A man with the child Jesus on his neck, and a saint with a chalice.

(4) St. George spearing the dragon and possible St. Magdalene (see also one of the previous panels). (5) Saint Mary with the child Jesus. Mary is wearing a cotehardie.

(6)  The annunciation, an angel visiting Mary. (7) St. Catherine with a wheel, St. Barbara with the tower and one with a palm branch.

  The Saint Andrew triptych. Painted around 1430.

Another museum with late 14th / early 15th century clothing is the Neidhart Frescos. These frescos were discovered in a house (Tuchlauben 19) that once belonged to the medieval cloth merchant Michel Menschein. In about 1407, he commissioned a series of four murals for his private dance-hall based on the (scandalous) songs by the legendary bard (Minnesänger) Neidhart von Reuenthal. Each fresco depicts scenes from one of the four seasons of the year. The different scenes are depicted against a dark coloured background, typical for the period around 1400, against which the light and bright colours stand out very well. Most of the figures wear stylish clothing of the end of the 14th, start of the 15th century. As I did not take photos here, the different scenes are from other internet sources and scanned from the guidebook.

Summer. On the left, a ball game depicted; in the middle some lovers and on the right a scene called 'the theft of the mirror', which suspiciously looks like a rape scene.

 Winter. a snowball fight and sledge ride.

Spring. The peasant brawl, with caricature peasant versions of knights.

Spring. The castle and men emerging from it: the so-called 'violet prank', where Neidhart finds the first violet in spring and covers it with his hat. He then calls the duchess to see the flower, but meanwhile a peasant has put this hat over a piece of dung.

Spring with the dancing scene and Autumn with a banquet by the fire; a table can be seen on the right.

Part 3 of medieval clothing from Vienna will show some real extant medieval pieces of clothing.

Medieval clothing from Vienna part I

I finally had some time to arrange the photos I took last year during my visit of Vienna. Several museums did have some display of medieval clothing; either the real stuff or on paintings and frescos. The first museum I visited was the Hofjagd und Rüstkammer. In this place many suits of armour are shown. One of the largest room with armour also showed one gigantic family tree of the Habsburger rulers, which was painted in 1497 by Konrad Doll from Freiburg. The painted lords and ladies (to me it was not very clear who was who) were all dressed in the luxurious style of the late medieval period with their respective hairstyles. I tried to make some photos of the couples, but this was difficult to do without using flash-light and considering the distances to the painting. Below are some of the members (with the heraldic red/white/red shield) of the Habsburg family tree.

These three photos made by Andreas Praefcke (wikimedia commons) give an overview of the enormous painting of the family tree.

The female wears a intricate necklace and a belt-type reminiscent of the male knightly belt of the late fourteenth century. The man wears a beautifully embroidered gown.

Some of the men have married twice. The females have some open armwork, showing the underlying dress. 

 

The female on the right has a pointed hennin.

 Or some females have two husbands.

Some men even have three wives. The middle one (wearing two templers or horns) does not look that happy.

I like the style of this man's gown.

Is this woman using a muff to warm her hands or has she hidden her hands into her sleeves?

This woman wears a fashionable long roll added to her horned head-dress.

She does not have a head-dress at all! Her hair is braided around her forehead.

 

Her gown has puffed-shoulders.

 Not all family members are married (loose hair), such as the woman on the right.

This pair seems more clothed for winter with a cloak and fur coverings. The hares suggest spring is coming.

 These two watching the pigeon have peculiar headdresses. Her white gown has a high neck.

The man looks quite surly.

Though this man has a quite colour-full gown, he does not seem to like it. Do the gold chains over his body mean that he feels bound by the marriage contract she holds? She wears a caul with lattice and pearls work as a head-dress.