From the Guildmaster: What I did on my Holidays IV
German Renaissance Pattern for Embroidery
From the Guildmaster
Back to the continuing saga of my research trip in Europe. For those of you who might be new to this newsletter, the reason I’m telling you about my holiday is because I spent 8 weeks last year researching medieval embroidery as the fieldwork for my Masters’ thesis. The trip seems a long time ago now, and the thesis is still not finished, although I am writing up now. So, for the next instalment:
From Nürnberg I travelled by train to Braunschweig in Northern Germany, where I was to stay with a German friend of my supervisor, who was a professor at the university there. He was utterly charming, and took me on a guided tour of the city, much of which had been rebuilt since being badly damaged by allied forces in the second World War. Fortunately for me, this had not affected the embroideries I had come to see.
On my second day in Braunschweig, I went to the Herzog-Anton-Ulrich Museum to see the embroidery known as the Gawain Teppich. This is a fourteenth century wool embroidery, executed in ‘Klosterstitch’, a laid and couched technique, somewhat similar to the Bayeux Tapestry, except that it covers every inch of the ground fabric. This piece was quite large, about 2m by 3m, but has been cut up at some stage in its life. It is a narrative embroidery showing scenes from the story of Sir Gawain, one of the knights of King Arthur’s Round Table. The embroidery is currently in conservation, and I was lucky enough to speak to the conservator about the processes it was undergoing, and to see it in bits. At the time I saw it, it was undergoing a second wash in ionised water, which had lifted a great deal of the dirt off. I was able to see a piece which had not been washed, and the difference was substantial. The conservators had unpicked some restoration work, and in places it was possible to see the original design drawn on the ground fabric. It was quite amazing to see how the original colours had survived after more than six hundred years.
While waiting to meet the conservator, I had about 10 minutes in the main gallery at the Herzog-Anton-Ulrich Museum, which was definitely not enough. I did see one very interesting portrait, though, although I failed to note the artist and title. (I thought that I would have time to come back later, but it wasn’t the case.) It was an early 16th century German panel painting, very much in the style of Cranach, featuring a woman wearing a dress with an embroidered breastband. The interesting thing was that the breastband was beaded with pearls to depict a little landsknecht knight and lady! Rather kitsch, but very tempting. The pearls were of different sizes, used to create a 3D effect. I hoped to buy a postcard, but there wasn’t one. So if any of you get the chance to go to Braunschweig, please note the details and let me know!
The conservator at the Herzog-Anton-Ulrich Museum directed me to the Landesmuseum in central Braunschweig to see more textiles, and this was an absolute treasure house from an embroiderer’s perspective. Situated below the gorgeously painted Rittersaal (knight’s hall) of Henry the Lion, Duke of Braunschweig in the 12th century, is a hall full of the most fantastic objects, including a large collection of embroidered vestments and hangings. There is also one of the oldest extant medieval embroideries – the coronation mantle of Otto IV, made for his coronation in 1218. This consists of a semicircular cope of very fine red Byzantine silk, on which is embroidered in counted- thread gold stitches lions, crescents and stars, scattered all over the body of the cope, and down the straight edges, a series of angels and religious figures. The embroidery is impossibly tiny, and very beautiful. It has been identified as English work.
Other embroideries in the Landesmuseum include some more narrative embroideries in the same style as the Gawain one, these depicting the story of Moses, and Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. There was also a huge hanging showing the tree of Jesse and prophets from the Old Testament, executed in woollen appliqué, with the cut out motifs couched down over gilt strips of vellum. The style of German counted-threads white work, sometimes known as opus teutonicum, was also represented with a lovely piece showing heraldic beasts and knights. There was also quite a line in gruesome crucifix scenes, mostly on vestments, some of them in raised work, and one where the whole body of Christ was depicted in pearls. These textiles have all been photographed and discussed in a book by Leonie von Wilckens called Die mittelalterlichen Textilien. Katalog der Sammlung. Braunschweig 1994. This is in German and expensive at 98 Deutschmarks, but in case you just have to have it, you can buy it from the Herzog-Anton-Ulrich museum website at http://www.museum-braunschweig.de. It probably goes without saying that I had to have it, so you’re welcome to look at my copy if you’re visiting.
From Braunschweig I went to Erfurt in Thuringia in the former East Germany, which I will describe for you next time.
Until then, I hope you find this inspiring, and please take the opportunity to come and talk to me about anything I’ve mentioned that you might be interested in. I’m only too happy to gabble at length, and I do have photos that I can bring along to events. I am also planning some classes for Rowany Festival on some of the German techniques that I’ve seen, so please come along and learn them.
Keep stitching,
Bess
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Book Review
By Bartolomeo Agazzi
At first appearance this slim little book belies the wealth of riches it contains for not only the needleworker but for most craftspeople interested in authentic period patterns. When produced in 1568, Bassee suggested in his introduction that it would also be useful for "stone masons, silk embroiderers and net makers" and that they would find it "useful and artistic" a sales pitch which I have to agree with. The size of the book is dictated in part by the size of the plates, which are all reproduced faithfully in the same order and exact size as the original book, which only measured 13cm x 18.5cm. The history of the book is quite interesting, and is covered in Epstein's introduction, along with a commentary on the origins of the plates. Bassee included woodblocks which he had purchased from other authors, and some most likely plagiarised, with at least one design dating back to as early as 1524.
Fortunately the quality of the plates is very good, with pretty much all of them being clear enough to work from directly without re-charting them,although some of the smaller designs could easily be enlarged on a photocopier for ease of working. The plates contain a wide assortment of patterns, with 34 of the 100 plates containing charted designs drawn on a grid, suitable for counted cross stitch, lacis etc. Of the remainder there are designs for counted satin stitch, double running stitch (aka Spanish Stitch, 'blackwork' etc), designs for laid work, and then a variety of other scroll work patterns and even some woodcuts of birds and animals. Each of the 100 plates contains a variety of designs, some narrow bands suitable for cuffs or trims, and some larger repeat designs suitable for furnishings etc. Altogether a most useful resource!
Curious Works Press, Austin, Texas. US$19.95
Available through Carllein (mka Carol Thomas)
c/- Small Churl Books, 1642 Stafford Rd, Storrs, CT, 06268, USA.
Small Churl Books catalogue on the Web: http://www.neca.com/~scbooks/
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Results from the Midwinter Competition – Couching
Congratulations to Bartolomeo Aggazi for winning the couchong competition in Aneala with his couched Elizabethan doublet. From what I’ve been told, the standard in the competition was consistantly good, so congratulations to everyone who entered. Also we had more entries in this competition than the last one. I hope to see the standard and the enthusiasm continue.
Thank you very much to Mistress Elayne Montjoy, who organised the competition over there and to Mistress Mathilde Adicoat who helped her judge.
We are now half way through the competitions for the yearly championship and one person is clearly out in front. This is partially due to skill, but mostly due to the fact that she was the only person to enter both competitions. So I encourage people to have a go and put something into competition even if you don’t think you’ll win. You don’t have to win any of the competitions to win the championship. The more competitions you go in, the better your chances.
Competitions
The next two competitions will go towards the Company of Broiderer’s Championship. The points will be added up at 12th Night 2000 and the winner will be declared the Champion of the Company of Broiderers.
Needlework using one of the following patterns:
These pattern comes from "The True Perfection of Design by Giovanni Ostaus, In Venice 1567". These patterns were redrawn by Susan J. Evans and put into a book published by Falconwood Press.
Needleworked lace (burato, filet lace, retcella, punto in aria, not bobbin lace)
Research Article – 4 pages with pictures (of the style of those that have already appeared in the WCoB handouts. Yes I am looking for newletter material). Topic – own choice, but we will try to come up with some hints. (perhaps write up the documentation for an item you’ve made – ie the pictures you used and why you made the choices on material, design etc). Articles must be present in printed format for judging, but it is desirable that they be submitted electronically for publication.
Elizabeth Embroidery (any type – blackwork, chromatic work, lace, sweet bags, pin cushions, canvas work, slips, tablet carpets, the sky is the limit….)
Embroidered table linen and towels
pre 1000 Embroidery
Needleworkers should note that your work can also be submitted for Kingdom or Principality competitions.
 | Needlework: Blackwork handkerchief |
| Trim: Lace (minimum of 6 inches). Note –This competition is not restricted to needlemade lace. However if you do make needlelace, you can enter same piece work in the Principality competition and the Broderers competition. |
Snippets from Madilayn de Mer
Good news: The shop Stitches and Threads at Russell Street West End stock Cifonda embroidery silks!
They do mail order, and their details are:
Stitches & Threads
79 Russell Street
West End Qld 4101
Ph: (07) 3844 6411 or (toll free) 1800 637 898
Fax: (07) 3844 6450
This is real silk and it is really fine (those who have seen the handkerchief I have been working on know what they are like) and it is really glossy and silky. As a comparasion: when you strand apart a piece of Madeira silk thread, one strand of the Madeira is about 3 strands of the Cifonda.
It is georgeous to work with - but has all the traditional problems of silk (snags, and the one strand tends to want to unravel to finer strands, so using a short piece is good.
I thought that you would be interested to know that Georgeson Publishing in NZ now has a Web Site. (They are the ones who publish the lovely Elizabethan Embroidery books).
This is probably one definately worth checking out and keeping.They would probably appreciate any feedback, and their e-mail is: gpl@georgeson.co.nz
From the Patron/Chronicler/Listkeeper/Webmaster/Competition Secretary/General Dogsbody….
As you might notice from the title, I do many jobs within the Company (pretty much everything that the Guildmaster doesn’t do). This is because I have a great desire to see the Company work and share ideas throughout Lochac. However, I’m starting to get slack, and rather than see a job done badly, I’d like to give some of my titles away to people who have more time and energy. Please contact me if you feel you can help, and I’ll discuss what the job entails and how we can transfer the task. (and how I let go…!)
The newest and most exciting job is that of Company Webmaster. Thanks to the generosity of Master Delbert von Strasburg, we have a webpage. It is http://sca.org.au/broiderers. Don’t bother checking there just yet. There’s nothing there, but as soon as we have a webmaster, you will find pictures of competition entries, back issues of the handouts, the charter, upcoming competitions, pictures of Company presentations, roll of ranks in the company, etc, etc, etc. Feel free to tell us your suggestions for our webpage.
Also we need a chronicler to produce this handout. It is the chroniclers job to pester people for contributions as the right time. Thank you to everyone who has contributed in the past, and to Bartolomeo Aggazzi, Mistress Bess and to Madylain de Mer for contributing to this issue. I’m getting more and more material given to me for each handout. I find it very encouraging that people are taking such an interest in the Company.
Other news concerning the handout. Next year we will introduce a $2 membership fee, to cover the cost of posting the handout. Now I know that $2 is a stupid amount for a cheque, so if you can’t hand the money over directly, I suggest you post the chronicler four stamps. (It’s about the same amount and you have to pay to send the stamps, so cosmicly speaking it all evens out, I’m sure)
Once again, thank you everyone for supporting the Worshipful Company of Broiderers
mouse….
Needle-made Lace Before 1600
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