By now, you probably know that chasing embroidered medieval vestments is kinda my thing :). Although I am fortunate enough to be able to travel regularly, a lot of my research happens behind a computer screen. Trailing through publications, especially the literature references, is how I find new-to-me pieces. And related information to these pieces. When I re-read the catalogue entry for a chasuble from Aosta Cathedral, Italy, that featured in my Advent Calendar, I decided to see if I could chase up the Italian references. A lovely antique dealer from Aosta sent me a hard-to-come-by book, and a trip to the Bavarian State Library in Munich provided copies of two further references (one contained another new-to-me piece; more on that in a future blog post!). So, let's have a look at this lovely piece of Italian embroidery!

The chasuble, known as the DePrez chasuble, is an excellent up-cycling story. It contains orphreys from two different older vestments. The five Apostles (three on the back and two on the front) were made between AD 1470 and 1480 in the Aosta Valley. And then there's the Annunciation scene spread over two orphreys. These were made a decade earlier in Central Italy. The coat of arms points to the DePrez family, who supplied two bishops to the see of Aosta: Uncle Antonio, AD 1444-1464, and Nephew Francesco, AD 1464-1511. We don't know if these came from one of the two vestments from which the orphreys came. It might be that these were later added to elevate the chasuble in importance.

The orphreys with the Apostles are really high-quality late-medieval embroidery. The padded tracery of the architectural niche is fantastic. Zoom in on the inside of the acanthus leaves to see the clever shading. Added outlines with gold thread and twist make it appear very opulent, yet the embroidery techniques involved are incredibly simple.

The diaper pattern in the background is well-known in medieval embroidery. What is notable here is that it is worked over padding thread. Additionally, the gold threads run horizontally instead of vertically.

The figure of St Paul is also very well executed. The main technique used is a shaded version of encroaching satin stitch. The embroiderer did not aim to split their stitches as we do in modern silk shading. This was a far more orderly affair, not unlike modern Chinese silk embroidery. The hems of the different pieces of clothing have also been lavishly embellished with couched gold threads.

Amazingly, we know who was responsible for the design drawings of these orphreys. And we might even know who stitched them. Art historians traced the designs to Antoine de Lonhy (AD c. 1446-1490). He was a Burgundian painter, illuminator and glazier who worked in Toulouse, Barcelona and Savoy. He was active in the Aosta Valley when these embroideries were made. Furthermore, documentary evidence shows that he supplied an embroiderer in Barcelona with design drawings. As to the embroiderer, there's a Jacobus Matei, Magister Broderius, in Aosta, paid several times around AD 1440 by the Cathedral of Aosta. This likely proves that high-end embroidery was made locally. Maybe Jacobus was still active and working for the Cathedral when Antoine drew the Apostles. Or maybe Jacobus passed on his trade to his children, and one of them was responsible for the orphrey of the Apostles?

This is my last blog post of the year! I am taking a break over Christmas and will use the time to plan the schedule for next year (blogs, Medieval Embroidery Study Group meetings, and classes). Thank you very much for being such a loyal audience for my medieval goldwork adventures. I wish you a Merry Christmas and all the best for 2025! See you back here on January 6th, 2025.

Literature
Bovenzi, G.L., 2013. Introduzione, in: Castelnuovo, E., Crivello, F., Vallet, V.M. (Eds.), Cattedrale di Aosta Museo del Tesoro. Catalogo. Cattedrale di Aosta Museo del Tesoro, Aosta, pp. 413–417.
Orlandoni, B., 1998. Artigiani e Artisti in Valle D'Aosta dal XIII secolo all'epoca Napoleonica. Priuli & Verlucca, Torino.
Prá, L. Dal, Carmignani, M., Peri, P. (Eds.), 2019. Fili d'oro e dipinti di seta: Velluti e ricami tra Gotico e Rinascimento. Castello del Buonconsiglio, Trento.

A couple of weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to finally visit the Cathedral Treasury of Anagni near Rome, Italy. The treasury houses several pieces of Opus anglicanum, not only the namesake cope. One of these pieces is the chasuble, which you can see below. However, this vestment started life as a dalmatic. It was made in the last third of the 13th century, either in England or in France. It was likely gifted to Anagni Cathedral by Pope Boniface VIII (AD 1294-1304). Anagni was the summer residence of the popes, and several medieval popes were born here. Let's explore this beautiful piece of Opus anglicanum.

Above, you see the front and the back of the chasuble. There are also additional fragments on display. The original dalmatic and a further cope were turned into this chasuble and two dalmatics in the 16th century. And whilst it was possible to dismantle the dalmatics and reconstruct the cope, this was not possible for the chasuble. Its original shape is a bit of a mystery. You can find proposed reconstructions in the literature below. However, none seems to be entirely right.

Most of us are pretty familiar with all-over embroidered linen Opus anglicanum copes. Personally, I never thought about what the corresponding chasubles, dalmatics and tunicellas looked like ... The copes get so much attention. However, these copes would have had equally splendid and matching other vestments. The Anagni chasuble/dalmatic seems to be a rare survivor.

Whether this embroidery was made in England or France is not entirely known. Saint Nicholas was a popular medieval saint throughout much of Europe. However, some scholars see a French influence in the style of the designs. The embroidery itself has some oddities, too. Firstly, the gold threads run horizontally instead of vertically. This means that they pull on the weft threads of the linen. The circular frames surrounding each scene have been pulled out of shape into a slight oval. Secondly, the outlines are not stitched with the customary black silk. Instead, a light brown was used. Christie also notes that the blue is not the usual indigo blue seen in other Opus anglicanum. A non-English provenance is thus possible.

My Journeymen and Master Patrons can enjoy many more pictures of this splendid piece of Opus anglicanum. I also run a lovely digital advent calendar for all my paying Patrons. As a Patron, you can access all previous posts according to your chosen tier. Please note: I will not publish free stuff on my Patreon site. The excellent free stuff is here on my blog. Running a paid Patreon site has made a massive difference in my life. I am finally able to draw a small income from my hard work. Thank you for understanding!

Literature
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.
Elster, C., 2018. Die textilen Geschenke Papst Bonifaz' VIII. (1294-1303) an die Kathedrale von Anagni. Michael Imhof Verlag, Petersberg.

When I demonstrate diaper pattern couching, people always ask if I have the complete pattern in my head somehow as there is nothing drawn or printed on the fabric. And even with my explanation, people don’t always fully understand how it is done. Not even embroiderers familiar with cross-stitch embroidery. And those embroiderers who know how it is done, are not always comfortable working a new pattern as they have trouble ‘reading’ the notation on paper. So, let me explain how I do it.

You will need a finer (I use 40 ct to 48 ct) even-weave linen mounted on a slate-frame. Try to avoid other set-ups such as hoops or roller frames. You really need a drum-taut result that will stay put for the duration of the work. You can find a video-tutorial on setting up your slate frame here.
 
You will also need gold thread. Both, passing thread (I use #3 to #6) and Japanese gold (I use #8 and #12) are suitable for the technique. As diaper pattern couching is mostly a counted technique (it is sometimes eye-balled), the thickness of the gold thread in relation to your background fabric is not completely unimportant.
Theoretically, when two parallel gold threads correspond perfectly to a ‘full’ number of fabric threads, you get the smoothest surface with no gaping between the rows of gold thread. However, you need space for your couching thread too. And likely, thread tension plays a role too. And then there’s the odd thicker or thinner thread in your linen, too :). From my experience, it is rather individual what works best for a stitcher. If you find that you keep struggling with properly spacing your gold threads, i.e. no crowding and no gaps either, try changing the fabric count or the thickness of your gold thread.
 
As gold threads are shiny, you get the best results when you use a shiny couching thread. I love working with untwisted Chinese flat silk. It is good quality and the thread can be split to however fine I need it. You can use any colour you like. Red is most prevalent during the Middle Ages. Yellow is also used. However, this is very hard on your eyes as there is little contrast with the gold. Green, blue and purple are never used.

It is really helpful to start thinking about your linen fabric as if it was a canvas for needlepoint, i.e. a grid. Instead of counting threads, you will be counting holes. I found the notation that I use for diaper patterns in a Dutch book from 1948 (Jansen, B.M., 1948. Laat Gotisch Borduurwerk in Nederland. L.J.C. Boucher, Den Haag).

The gold threads are represented by horizontal or vertical lines running the full width/length of the pattern. The couching stitches are the short dashes that cross the gold threads at right angles.

When looking at the pattern notation, you might wonder how you know how many holes there are between the consecutive couching stitches. You need to look to the rest of the pattern to find out.

When choosing a pattern for your project, keep in mind that complex patterns leave more room for error and are slower to work. A pattern with many couching stitches is also slower as a pattern with fewer stitches. And last but not least, larger patterns only really work in a larger, uninterrupted space. Making a sampler with many different patterns is both fun to work and an asset on your wall. Smaller patches can easily be turned into Christmas ornaments or very fancy coasters. The possibilities are endless!

Ready to try your hand at diaper pattern couching? My Journeyman and Master Patrons find a downloadable PDF with these instructions and 18 diagrams of medieval diaper patterns on my Patreon site.