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Tutorial: Underside couching versus brick stitch

30/9/2024

Last week, I discussed some Opus anglicanum pieces that show underside couched silk worked in a brick pattern. I wondered what the benefits were of using underside couching instead of traditional brick stitch. As I had done underside couching with a metal thread before, I imagined that underside couching with silk would be equally slow and cumbersome. I was very wrong. Underside couching with silk is a lovely technique! I hope you will give it a try, as it would be an excellent addition to your toolbox. The tutorial on this blog consists of the design drawing and a video where I work on parts of the design. My Journeyman and Master Patrons will find a downloadable PDF with the design drawing, additional pictures and instructions on my Patreon website.

Finished geometric embroidery sample (5 x 5 cm)

Geometric design drawing (5 x 5 cm)

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The Syon Cope: underside couched silk

23/9/2024

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While researching the grave finds of some of these bishops and kings, I also came across other small embroidered pieces that piqued my curiosity. When we think of Opus anglicanum, we think of underside couched gold threads. However, the embroiderers also underside couched silk. The most famous example is the Syon cope. The background consists entirely of underside couched green and red silk. I always thought that the Syon cope was somewhat of an oddity. And it is in terms of Opus anglicanum copes. However, other pieces of embroidery show underside couched silk, too. Let's have a look.

The Syon cope (83-1864) in its display case in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London.

Here you see the Syon cope (made AD 1310-1320, England) in its natural museum habitat. It is displayed in front of the equally stunning Hildesheim cope made in Germany in AD 1310-1320. I never entirely understand why the Victoria & Albert Museum points out to visitors: "Compared with known examples of contemporary Opus Anglicanum, this German work is rather naive and not as finely executed." Really? I beg to differ. But that's the topic of another blog post. Back to the underside couched silk!

Coronation of the Virgin on the Syon cope (83-1864) in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London.

Here, you see one of the central scenes on the back of the Syon cope: the Coronation of the Virgin. The red and green backgrounds of the scenes are filled with underside couched silk in a chevron pattern. And see the stripiness of the colour of the silk? That proves that different dye lots were used to stitch the cope. Maybe it was not apparent at the time of stitching. However, the different dye lots certainly reacted differently to light exposure over time.

Embroidered seal-bag kept at the London Metropolitan Archives, COL/CH/01/25.

As said, the underside couched silk on the Syon cope is a bit of an oddity. As far as I am aware, only a few smaller pieces of embroidery show underside couching in silk. So far, I have come across two amice apparels, an alb apparel, a stole, two seal-bags and an embroidered fragment. The oldest pieces date to the second half of the 12th century (vestments said to have belonged to Thomas Becket), and the youngest piece is the Syon cope itself, dating to the first quarter of the 14th century. The technique has also been in use for about 150 years.

But why would you underside couch silk? Look closely at the picture of the seal-bag. What does underside couched silk on the grain of the embroidery fabric remind you of? Indeed: brick stitch. Why did the embroiderers opt for underside couching instead of brick stitch? To save on silk thread? When another couching pattern, such as the chevron pattern on the Syon cope, is used, I can understand why you use underside couching. However, you could also use brick stitch for a chevron pattern (think Bargello). And when you go off the grid to fill design elements, underside couching is a good option too. But remember the 'inferior' Hildesheim cope? That one is stitched entirely in brick stitch variations. So why would embroiderers on the Continent opt for brick stitch and those on the British Isles for underside couching? What's the difference? Let's explore that next week with a tutorial!

Literature
Browne, C., Davies, G., Michael, M.A. (Eds.), 2016. English Medieval Embroidery: Opus Anglicanum. Yale University Press, New Haven.

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The Bishop's Stockings part II

16/9/2024

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Before I show you three more sets of beautifully embroidered pontifical socks, I can finally give you the link for the TV appearance. It aired last Friday. The MDR crew did a good job, and I feel that we all expressed ourselves really well in terms of why we stitch and the benefits of stitching. I really hope that the Museum Domschatz Halberstadt profits from the exposure. So far, I can't see an uptake in my website's traffic. And now, on to the stitched socks! Last week, we looked at three pairs of stockings from two kings and a bishop. The oldest pair dated to the 11th century, and the other two were from the late 12th century. This week, we will look at the grave finds of three bishops who lived in the 13th century.

Embroidered pontifical stockings found in the grave of Bishop Beringer von Entringen (died AD 1232), Historisches Museum der Pfalz, Inv. Nr. D 337 a/b.

First up are the textile remains of Bishop Beringer von Entringen (died AD 1232). He was bishop of Speyer from AD 1224 until his death. The stockings are covered with a regular geometric flower design stitched in underside couching. The embroidery fabric consists of samite. Unfortunately, the original colour is difficult to establish. The underside couched silver gilt threads (single) are packed in tightly to 30-35 threads per cm. Researchers believe that these stockings were embroidered in England around AD 1200. They are thus a typical piece of Opus anglicanum embroidery.

Fragment of the stockings found in the grave of Bishop Walter de Cantilupe of Worcester (AD 1195-1266), Inv. Nr. 1380-1901, © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Due to the 18th and 19th century habit of dividing up archaeological finds between several enthusiastic collectors, the remains of the socks of bishop Walter de Cantilupe of Worcester can now be found in three museums. Bishop Walter was buried in Worcester Cathedral, which holds some of the remains. Furthermore, pieces are held in the British Museum and in the Victoria & Albert Museum. As the finds are divided up between three museums, their original form has not been reconstructed. It is also not helpful that the remnants of the corresponding sandals are not clearly separated from those of the stockings (I believe that the pictures shown in the British Museum link are part of the sandals).

The stockings are covered with a design of standing and seated kings with sceptres amongst elaborate scroll-work. The embroidery is executed with a silver-gilt thread on silk twill. As you can see from the above picture, the embroidery consists of underside couching. You are actually looking at the back of the embroidery. The linen couching thread has completely deteriorated. The only thing left is the gold thread that has been pulled in tiny loops through the silk twill. Only the silk twill is holding the gold thread. The stockings were made in England between AD 1220 and 1250.

Fragments of the embroidered stockings found in the grave of Bishop Pierre de Charny, Sens Cathedral, France.

The last pair of stockings come from the grave of Bishop Pierre de Charny of Sens in Sens Cathedral. The design on the stockings consists of griffons and leopards set in elaborate scroll-work. The embroidery is executed on silk twill with a silver-gilt thread in underside couching. His stockings were probably already a little older when he wore them for burial. They were made in the early 13th century in England.

Just as we saw last week with the first three stockings, the embroidery is of a non-religious nature. Geometric designs or elaborate scroll work with animals or human figures are popular. The embroidery is also executed directly onto a thick silken fabric. And these last three stockings all show the underside couching technique as seen in Opus anglicanum. I wonder if there were embroidery workshops that specialised in making these all-over embroidered stockings. Did they cater to royalty and bishops alike? Or perhaps also the higher nobility (the ranks just below the king)? Where these patterns found on other embroidered textiles too? Perhaps as borders on a mantle? The fact that the stockings survived under exceptional circumstances in these graves does not mean that they were the only pieces decorated in this way. Maybe they show us a glimpse of what other embroidered textiles of the times looked like!

My Journeyman and Master Patrons will find a PDF of an 1893 publication of the opening of the grave of bishop Hubert Walter of Canterbury for download on my Patreon site. The publication contains full-sized colour photographs of the embroidered stockings and shoes, as well as other textiles found in the grave.

Literature
Browne, C., Davies, G., Michael, M.A. (Eds.), 2016. English Medieval Embroidery: Opus Anglicanum. Yale University Press, New Haven.
Christie, A.G., 1938. English Medieval Embroidery: A brief survey of English Embroidery dating from the beginning of the tenth century until the end of the fourteenth. Clarendon Press, Oxford.
Päffgen, B., 2010. Die Speyerer Bischofsgräber und ihre vergleichende Einordnung: Eine archäologische Studie zu Bischofsgräbern in Deutschland von den frühchristlichen Anfängen bis zum Ende des Ancien Regime. Studia archaeologiae medii aevi 1. Likias, Friedberg.

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The bishop's stockings part I

9/9/2024

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When I was updating the course contents of my Medieval Embroidery Course, I came across beautifully embroidered ceremonial stockings. The use of these stockings ended after the Second Vatican Council in 1962. Bishops, but also some male nobility, were laid to rest in them. They are often the best-preserved part of the funeral clothing due to the way the body decomposes. I came under the impression that these stockings (also called buskins or caligae) are somewhat uniform when it comes to the embroidered decoration and the goldwork technique used. But is this true? And if so, what could that mean? Let's have a look at the Bishop's socks!

Stockings of William II of Sicily, second half 12th century, Kaiserliche Schatzkammer Wien, Inv. Nr. WS XIII 12.

So far, I have come across the socks of six important medieval men. Some were laid to rest in England, others in Germany or France. We will look at all of them in chronological order of their deaths. First up are the socks of King William II of Sicily (AD 1153-1189). William was of the Norman house of Hauteville and married Joan of England (AD 1165-1199), a daughter of Henry II. His beautiful cochineal-red samite socks with goldwork embroidery were made for him in the Royal Workshops of Palermo, Sicily. We know this through the Arabic dedication on the tapestry bands attached at the tops.

The embroidery is very special (Seipel 2004, 272-274). The design consists of interlocking quatrefoils. In the middle of each sits an identical motive. It is interpreted as being a simple four-lobed flower or small star. The socks are all-over embroidered with this design, leaving out only the heel and the foot (this is probably easier for when the corresponding sandals were put on). The embroidery is executed with pure gold wire (0.15 mm in width). Not a gold thread made of gold foil wrapped around a textile core. The technique used is normal surface couching, but the couching pattern is a slanting line and not normal bricking. The couching thread is naturally coloured silk. Once the embroidery was completed, the gold wire was hammered flat. The embroidery pattern transferred onto the red samite consists of dark lines (ink?).

Episcopal stocking of Archbishop Hubert Walter, AD 1170-1200, Canterbury Cathedral Archives CCA-DCC-HW/14/1+2.

The tomb of Archbishop Hubert Walter (AD c. 1160-1205) was opened in 1890. The beautifully embroidered socks were in exceptional condition. Christie (1938) describes the original colour of the silk twill fabric as possibly having been green. The silver-gilt threads have been underside couched. The pattern is geometric with diamonds filled with eagles, stars and crosses. The socks were made in England around AD 1170-1200.

Shaft of one of the stockings found in the grave of Philip of Swabia, D 521, Domschatz im historischen Museum der Pfalz.

Philip of Swabia was king of Germany from AD 1198 until his assassination in AD 1208. Philip belonged to the Hohenstaufen family and was born in AD 1177 in Pavia, Italy. His father was Holy Roman emperor Frederick Barbarossa and his mother was Beatrice I, Countess of Burgundy. The textiles were found in his grave in Speyer Cathedral in 1900. However, this was not Philip's first resting place. Since he was murdered in Bamberg, he was initially buried in Bamberg Cathedral and relocated five years later. It is likely that some of his funeral attire came from the Bamberg Cathedral Treasury. Most notably, the stockings as they are much older than Philip himself. The fabrics used and the quality of the embroidery point to the 11th century and not the late 12th/early 13th.

The embroidery on the shaft of the socks is quite unusual. The design of the heavy silk fabric (proto-lampas) has been embellished with gold embroidery. Some elements have been completely filled with couched gold threads, whilst other elements only have an outline in couched gold thread. It is possible that gold threads of different gold content, and thus colour, were used on purpose to achieve a shaded effect. The couching thread was likely a red silk. The original colour of the silken fabric could not be determined as it is so degraded.

The gold embroidery is very fine with 50 to 60 parallel threads per centimetre. This sounds familiar. The Imperial Vestments kept at Bamberg (the place where Philip was murdered!) Cathedral and dating to the 11th century are also decorated with very fine goldwork embroidery.

The embroidered stockings of King William, Archbishop Hubert Walter and King Philip share several characteristics. 1) The design has been embroidered directly onto a heavy silken fabric. 2) The embroidery only uses gold thread, either surface or underside couched, and no coloured silks for part of the design. and 3) The design is non-religious. I'll have three more socks for you next week!

Literature
Browne, C., Davies, G., Michael, M.A. (Eds.), 2016. English Medieval Embroidery: Opus Anglicanum. Yale University Press, New Haven.
Christie, A.G., 1938. English Medieval Embroidery: A brief survey of English Embroidery dating from the beginning of the tenth century until the end of the fourteenth. Clarendon Press, Oxford.
Herget, M. (Ed.), 2011. Des kaisers letzte Kleider.: Neue Forschungen zu den organischen Funden aus den Herrschergräbern im Dom zu Speyer. Historisches Museum der Pfalz, Speyer.
Muthesius, A., 1995. Chapter III: The silks of the tomb of Archbishop Hubert Walter, in: Muthesius, A. (Ed.), Studies in Byzanthine and Islamic silk weaving. The Pindar Press, London, pp. 45–54.
Seipel, W. (Ed.), 2004. Nobiles Officinae: Die königlichen Hofwerkstätten zu Palermo zur Zeit der Normannen und Staufer im 12. und 13. Jahrhundert. Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, Wien.

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Embroidery Workshop Halberstadt

2/9/2024

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And we are back! My summer break turned out to be far less of a break than I had hoped for. Some non-break things were very pleasant, though! I very much enjoyed the Tour de Broderie shows I did with the FiberTalk Gang. They were great fun, and I encourage you to watch the recorded shows on the FiberTalk YouTube channel. The other major thing that got in the way of a proper summer break was I ended up helping out at my husband's place of work. All four of his colleagues fell ill within a couple of days of each other. At present, we have no idea how long this craziness will continue. They would love to have me there permanently for three days a week. Upon trying, we were quickly met by reality. The day only has 24 hours :). So, I had better stick to helping out as much as possible for now, helping my husband with his freelance archaeology work, running my embroidery business, and running the household. I hope they find new personnel real soon, or we will need to find a new Jessica! In between it all, I run a very successful embroidery workshop at Halberstadt Cathedral Treasury.

Late-medieval wattle-and-daub house in Halberstadt.

My husband and I returned from our 1240 km round trip to Halberstadt very early this morning. I am very grateful that he always agrees to accompany me so that we can share the driving. Especially driving back in the late afternoon after having taught for two days is not my favourite thing to do. I can manage a couple of hours but not the full 7 to 8 hours it takes to get back home. And since Halberstadt is a lovely small town with plenty of medieval churches, houses and a synagogue to explore, he happily comes along. The above picture is of a typical wattle-and-daub house dating to 1537. Many similar houses still line the streets of Halberstadt. Some have been converted into hotels and restaurants. And since these houses are similar in date to some of the late-medieval embroidered treasures in the Cathedral Treasury, some might even have been made there.

Workshop setup under the sky lights in the library next to the medieval Cathedral walls.

The embroidery workshop takes place in the museum's library. The library is conveniently located just outside of the exhibition area. Students can walk in and out to visit the medieval originals whenever they need a break from stitching. The library is equipped with large tables where you can work. Big skylights connect the modern building with the medieval cathedral. They provide beautiful natural light for stitching.

Singing Angels goldwork embroidery based on a mid-15th century original.

My students worked on the singing angels. The originals can be found on many embroidered chasuble crosses made in Germany in the second half of the 15th century. The spiral background is also typical of embroideries from Germany. The areas between the spirals can be filled with gold threads or, in this case, silk embroidery.

On the second day, we were visited by reporters from the MDR television channel. Seeing that they became enthusiastic about this medieval goldwork embroidery was great. Their 2:30 min. report will probably be aired tonight at 19:00h on the MDR show Sachsen-Anhalt Heute. I will share the link to the recording with you next week.

The museum and I hope to organise another workshop next year. We will aim for the same weekend. I will post this on my website as soon as we have set the date. The workshop is an excellent opportunity to learn medieval goldwork embroidery in a historical setting and with easy access to the originals. Halberstadt is a lovely small town with many historic sites. Whilst it cannot provide the luxurious accommodation of other historical embroidery retreats, you can book a beautiful room with a hearty breakfast in a historic building (no elevator, but ground floor rooms available). Excellent meals can be had at the Halberstädter Hof (also a lovely hotel in a historic building). Everything is within walking distance from the Cathedral and the workshop venue. As Halberstadt is in former Eastern Germany, prices are very affordable!

On a different note: Bookings for the self-paced Medieval Goldwork Course will open tomorrow at noon (12:00h) CEST. Due to the BREXIT tax rules, there are limited places available. If they sell out, new places will become available next year. Sorry! Former students of the course will find the updated course content on Padlet. Enjoy!

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Historical Embroidery News...

Tutorial: Underside couching versus brick stitch

The Syon Cope: underside couched silk

The Bishop's Stockings part II

The bishop's stockings part I

Embroidery Workshop Halberstadt

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