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Historical Embroidery News...

Medieval embroidery @ Dommuseum Fulda

3/6/2019

11 Comments

 
Last week, I showed you the vestments from the 17th and 18th century on display at the Dommuseum in Fulda. This week we will have a look at the medieval ones. Although the lighting was much better in this part of the exhibition, the glass of the showcases posed a huge problem when photographing the pieces. And to make matters worse, the warden revoked my permission to photograph. Nevertheless, I have a hand-full of nice pictures of very high-end goldwork and silk embroidery to share with you!
Detail of a chasuble cross made around 1500, Dommuseum Fulda
Chasuble cross made around 1500, Dommuseum Fulda
First up are two pictures of an embroidered cross which would have adorned a chasuble. These embroideries were so precious, that they were mostly re-used on a new vestment when the old one was worn. In this case, the embroidery is a little special: it is raised embroidery. We often associate stumpwork embroidery with 17th-century England. In this case, however, the embroidery was done around 1500. The exact provenance was not stated, but these stumpwork embroideries were all made in the German-speaking parts of Europe. The most exquisite examples can be found in Mariazell, Austria. Here the figures stand about 3 cm proud of the background fabric!

In the detail picture above, one can clearly see that the faces of both Peter and Jesus are padded. Jesus's ribcage is defined with a piece of string padding. The whole figure of Jesus seems to be somewhat padded. And the flesh-coloured fabric looks quite stiff and a bit like paper or vellum.
Chasuble cross Dommuseum Fulda
Chasuble cross Dommuseum Fulda
And here we have two depictures of God from two different late-medieval chasuble crosses. Unfortunately, no further information was displayed for these two. Or maybe I forgot to take a picture ... I quite like these two. The clouds remind me somewhat of Chinese embroidery on the imperial Dragon Robes.
Chasuble cross around 1480 Dommuseum Fulda
Chasuble cross around 1480 Dommuseum Fulda
Last up are these two. They are chasuble crosses embroidered around 1480. No provenance is given. These two caught my eye as the embroidery techniques used are quite different from the other vestments on display. No or nue here; the figures are stitched in silk using long-and-short stitch.
Detail Chasuble cross around 1480 Dommuseum Fulda
In this detail shot, you can see what I mean. No or nue for the figures here. Instead, there is meticulous tapestry shading on the clothing (i.e. silk shading strict vertically instead of naturally). And the couching patterns for the goldwork threads in the background are so full of movement and quite different from the strict geometrical patterns seen in the late-medieval vestments from the Low Countries.

I had a strange feeling that I had seen this before. And luckily for me, my mind sometimes does a good job :). Instead of needing to go through my thousands of pictures taken at museums, I knew at which museum I had seen this: the Diözesanmuseum Brixen, Italy.
Chasuble cross late 15th century Diözesanmuseum Brixen
Chasuble cross late 15th century Diözesanmuseum Brixen
This late-15th-century (same date as the one from Fulda!) chasuble cross has a similar couched background. And most of the figures are stitched in tapestry shading rather than or nue (Mary being a notable exemption). So maybe the chasuble cross held at the Dommuseum Fulda has a more southern origin?

Being able to make these connections only works when I am allowed to take pictures. As lighting conditions or the way things are exhibited often do not permit studying the embroidery with the naked eye, my pictures are a great help. The camera is able to pick up details even when lighting is poor. I can zoom while taking a picture and again when looking at my pictures on the computer. Applying filters will tell me even more about the way things were made. It is therefore always very sad when the taking of pictures is not permitted. As long as you do not use flash (or use another source of light such as your phone!), you are not damaging the exhibits. And me taking pictures of the exhibits as is, has other benefits too. I don't need to make an official appointment for which museum staff needs to 'host' me (they have better things to do) and I don't need to handle the exhibits either.

Some museums argue that by taking photographs and publishing them in a blog or on social media will mean fewer people will actually visit the museum. Really? I have the sneaking feeling that more people will visit a museum when they know what is on show. Especially museums with a wide range of exhibits of which textiles are only a small portion. The museum's website often does not specifically state that there are gorgeous embroideries on display (they are a somewhat neglected category, especially when in competition with bling made of precious metals) which might interest the curious embroiderer. And I know that several of my readers have visited museums which featured in my blogs. I have been guilty of doing the same. Maybe we should start mentioning these things to staff on duty when visiting a museum after reading a blog or seeing a picture on social media. What do you think?
11 Comments
Jones, Charlie
3/6/2019 18:16:06

When I am taking pictures of an exhibit, if some one comes along
and wants view I always step back, they usually won't be there long. I am sorry for the warden who won't see more visitors because you took greats pics. The internet is my post grad work for my medivel education, heavy on the embroidery.

Reply
Jessica Grimm link
3/6/2019 18:46:01

Oh, I do too Charlie! If others want to view things, I always step back from the exhibit. The funniest thing happened in China. At the National Silk Museum, the Chinese visitors were just racing through the displays. But when they saw me making so many pictures, they started to take the same ones :). Since the white lady is taking a picture, it must be important ...

Reply
Marina Berts link
4/6/2019 09:53:51

I quite agree with you, Jessica - if we may take pictures of embroidery exhibited in museums, put them on our blogs and explain what it's all about in more detail, more people might want to go to the museum to have a look. Good idea to talk about this when visiting a museum that has beautiful embroidery - I'll do the same whenever I can!

Reply
Jessica Grimm link
4/6/2019 11:07:12

Thank you Marina!

Reply
Rachel link
4/6/2019 16:17:53

Absolutely we should talk about the embroideries with the staff, and tell them that other people would be interested if they new about them - and particularly, tell them about places we've visited because another embroiderer wrote or posted pictures about them!

Reply
Jessica Grimm link
4/6/2019 16:28:19

I can see a peaceful revolution happening Rachel!

Reply
Agne
5/6/2019 13:29:06

I saw very similar cross in raised embroidery in Vienna (Dom Museum Wien). Embroidery was dated as done in early 16th century, in Austria or Bohemia. But they had even more impressive raised embroidery cope shield stitched in 1518 (stumpwork is really much older than the English one that we know now).

Reply
Jessica Grimm link
5/6/2019 14:27:29

That museum is on my wishlist, Agne! Were you allowed to take pictures?

Reply
Agne
5/6/2019 14:31:26

Of course, Kaiserliche Schatzkammer Wien is the first to visit in Wien, but this museum was interesting too. And you must visit Stift Klosterneuburg as well. And yes, I was allowed to take pictures :)

Jessica Grimm link
5/6/2019 14:39:05

I've been to Vienna a couple of years ago and we did see a lot of churches and museums, but not the Dommuseum. We were told there were no paraments there ... We did see some vestments made by Maria Theresia in one of the churches. And thanks for the tip about Neuburg!

Reply
Agne
5/6/2019 14:43:50

Check your email for a letter from wetransfer ;)

Whenever I travel, I always visit the museums of the cathedrals. They simply must show some vestments, they must have something :D




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