Frock Chick

I have been trying to work out if Christoph Weiditz can be trusted for his figures of women from Juelich. These are a lot of figures with nearly the same dress and sleeve arrangement after all and this is not an arrangement we see in the Bruyn portraits of women of Cologne.

I decided to treat these images as if they are representative of what I haven’t seen before, after all the rest of the figures really do match very well to imagery we have of dress across Europe.

I have a wealth of portraits of wealthy citizens of Cologne and a few precious images of Anna and her family. And these fragments of information do support this position as there are marked differences in style while maintaining features iconic of the region. 

I am used to hanging sleeves of this region being made from the same fabric as the rest of the gown and lined in fur- and indeed even a very very fine fur that is often depicted as very delicate and very short and a very soft and thin skin. Sometimes these sleeves are pinned back and hide the outer.

However this is not what we see here. And Weiditz fortunately shows figures with sleeves of this arrangement in his own work to compare his own treatment of this kind of turn back.

In the Julich figures we can see vertical gathers on the white hanging sleeve where it meets the  fitted upper sleeve which does not indicate that the sleeves are pinned over.

I thought perhaps the way the book was created was from sketches Weiditz created during his travel and then he copied those into his book. His first book has been extensively studied but not this second so I am working with a lot of assumptions here!

However I may be right, as the last figure (pink with black guards) is missing colour on her shoulder to our left. And the figure in yellow has some darker paint on her shoulder to our right which may indicate some trouble.

However this kind of separate soft and hanging sleeve is seen all over artwork of saints and allegorical figures. And it does appear in different forms on portraits of women.

These figures are not North Rhine but they are of the family of the founder of the Chapel. And the female figure in the middle of the right panel is wearing an example of the loose separate sleeve.

This is not conclusive obviously, however these sleeves are seen from the south to the north of the Rhine and so might be a kind of shared fashion.

It is tempting to call these “stoichen” after a term used in Cologne inventories as this has been taken to mean a kind of pendant sleeve. I had originally thought perhaps they were matching sleeves as the de Bruyn costume book shows quitely clearly little fasteners (though they look like thumb tacks not pins.) I suspect this is still a term for the type of sleeve even if not a separate item.

But here we do see that a short half length sleeve not only was in fashion in the later half of the century but also it does make for a very versatile garment. Sumptuary laws clearly show that the accessories were a very strong indicator of rank and so were very important. By alternating accessories and wearing the skirt open or closed the one dress can be worn in many ways.

Short half sleeves can also be seen in paintings. The earliest I’ve found is on a child before 1550 and then on adults after this date.

But what of the paned sleeves? These are seen on both figures of Anna and Amela in the triptych of their family, while the rest of their court ladies have loose sleeves.

This last portrait is frustratingly difficult to find the original. It was part of an auction on a site that no longer hosts the originals nor any information about the auction, and this is a zoomed view. But there is a very clear paned upper sleeve seen here. This is from a pair of portraits thought to be by the Bruyn workshop. They may have been restored or they may be copies as they do not have the same softness of features.

The half length paned sleeve is seen in allegorical and religious figures especially in sculpture.

Of special note is the figure on the far left as she has the same style of hat Anne wears in the triptych. A different kind of cap is also seen on a portrait of the Countess Emeza von Kappenberg as a sketch and detail of the Xantener altar. 

JOURNAL ARTICLE: BILDNISZEICHNUNGEN VON BARTHOLOMÄUS BRUYN D. Ä. HILDEGARD KRUMMACHER Wallraf-Richartz-Jahrbuch Vol. 26 (1964), pp. 59-72. Note the braid is part of the figure behind her, also dressed in contemporary dress and likely another contemporary person.

The figure to the right of the group of three even has sleeves quite similar to the portrait of Maria (the mother of Sibylla, Anna, and Amalia.)

On balance it does seem more likely that Weiditz had access to images or people that are no longer represented clearly in the art we can easily access now. However elements of the style can be found both within the North Rhine and outside. 

From Facebook: Emily Gibbs‎ to Canterbury Faire 2018, 29 January at 19:58 · Kaikoura Suburban, New Zealand

I am so inordinately happy with this! It has everything I love about the Cranach Saxon style with the weirdness of everything in the Nordrein (North Rhine.)

But it is weird. I’ll break down all the weirdness as I go but of note is the tone on tone. I deviated a little from the original, or rather combined two (three) figures in one. So the pink ground of two and the crimson velvet borders of another.

But tone on tone is very definitely part of this region, especially in the red/pink tones. And especially as velvet on a flat fabric.

Bildnis einer Frau 

Zuordnung:kölnisch

Datierung:um 1555/1560Sachbegriff:Gemälde

Sammlung:Köln, Wallraf-Richartz-Museum, Sammlungskontext: Stiftung Dr. Hubert Dormagen / Kerp, Inventar-Nr. WRM 3300, Zugang: 1980.12.31, Dauer: ab 1980.12.31

Kostüme der Männer und Frauen in Augsburg und Nürnberg, Deutschland, Europa, Orient und Afrika – BSB Cod.icon. 341

Publishing place: Augsburg

Year published: 4. Viertel 16. Jh.

Pages: 384

BSB Call Nr.: Cod.icon. 341

Project ID: BSB-Hss Cod.icon. 341

URN: urn:nbn:de:bvb:12-bsb00011752-7

Thuringen, I am not sure, Cologne (see what I mean by variations of spelling!)

So this is just one manuscript, and the Cologne image might be shot gold and red, but it is from the period. this is a hand drawn costume book, so little concern about it being coloured in at a later date. This work is full of pink as a main fabric. Full. But I am specifically looking for the tone on tone elements.

The Triumph of Maximillian is another illustrated book full of pink. But here again I have limited to tone on tone in red/crimson.

Title Triunfo del Emperador Maximiliano I, Rey de Hungría, Dalmacia y Croacia, Archiduque de Austria :… de quien están descritas y colocadas en esta colección las acciones gloriosas de S.M. Imperial, durante su vida…

Date entre 1501 y 1700?

Edition S.XVI-XVII Type Manuscrito

Subject Maximiliano I, Emperador del Sacro Imperio Romano Germánico

Page 96 and 97 and 97 again.

(these are huge zoomable images)

(Royalty Guide and Wikicommons respectively)

Sophia von Mecklenberg, married the Duke of Brauchweig, part of estphalia and so also has the mix of influences.I did not know of this image until today, however I am familiar with the two pieces of stonework depicting her in a very similar dress- I had it set aside as research for the sleeves, this confirms that the sleeves are weird, hooray! She was buried in Cell an

But the colours are nearly identical to my frock 🙂 So that is exciting. I was working with a limited range of fabric.

I knwe of her through the following images from Bildindex (handy hint, grabmal is a great search term for looking for images

Grabplatte der Herzogin Sophia von Mecklenburg

nach 1541 Grabplatte, Grabskulptur,  Sandstein

Standort: Celle, Kirche, Evangelisch-lutherische Stadtkirche Sankt Marien, Chor

Gedächtnis: Sophia (Mecklenburg, Herzogin) Herzogin Sophia von Mecklenburg war die Gemahlin Ernst des Bekenners

Also a full 3d view

Epitaph des Herzogs Ernst des Bekenners und seiner Frau Sophia, Herzogin von Mecklenburg

Cornelis Floris (2) (Werkstatt) 1576 Epitaph, Grabskulptur Alabaster

Standort: Celle, Kirche, Evangelisch-lutherische Stadtkirche Sankt Marien, Chor (Nordwand)

Gedächtnis: Ernst (Braunschweig-Lüneburg, Herzog) Gedächtnis: Sophia (Mecklenburg, Herzogin)

So side track aside there are many more examples of red based tone on tone garments of the wider region.

 

Both by Noclas Neufchatel.

Brady hart Gallery and wikicommons and liveinternet respectively.

These are of course from Nuremberg and so are quite a distance, but we see the range of tones for tone on tone (also the red dyed braids!!!)

1516 Circle of Hans Holbein the Younger (1497-1543) Portrait of Dorothea Meyer, wife of Jakob Meyer zum Hasen (Basel)

From Barbara Wells Sarudy’s post about winter clothing

Kunstauktionshaus Schloss Ahlden GmbH 2017 

Christoph Amberger

(Um 1505 Nürnberg – 1561/62 Augsburg) attr.;

Portrait der Maria Hieronymus Sulzer

This is much more suble, and leaning towards the crimson on yellow seen at about the same rate.

(Mina is the shortform of my SCA name and tends to be used just as a nickname for me- I like it 🙂 )

I just grabbed a set of a knife and fork from Trademe- mother of pearl handles, silver decorative join to the functional end. Not suse the content of the functional end.

They are really lovely, and fit what I wanted 🙂

I want to make a case for them. So it means having them in hand sooner rather than later 🙂 I am not entirely sure how they are made but I have a few options to work with.

So, why a knife and fork? Aren’t forks out of era. Nope.

My favourite set ever is Italian and is made with rock crystal.

http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O112430/cutlery-set-unknown/

It seems to have been redesignated later than 16thC but there are similar that are earlier.

http://gyujtemeny.imm.hu/gyujtemeny/kes/1434?i=1377

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wien_Schatzkammer_Deutscher_Orden_-_Essbesteck.jpg

So I originally tried to find modern cutlery I could adapt, but Most just cannot- I need each end to unscrew and have a core to thread crystal on to.. So a look around at further designs:

All from Bildindex, info in photos. All 16-17thC and across the states.

So my theory is that we don’t just see sets of knives in the Trachtenbucher but possibly knife and fork sets.

Mostly the forks are long tined. I personally do not want to run the risk of poking myself in the face with them so I am fine with a smaller tine set further to the end. In the first image there is a case that may be associated witht he matching set.

But now for the cases:

https://www.bildindex.de/document/obj05227007 https://www.bildindex.de/document/obj05227006

These could well be wedding knife sets. There don’t seem to be a top end to the cases. And they seem to be silver.

These do appear to match the sets worn in the trachtenbuch.

These are from Weigel’s book https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Frauen-Trachtenbuch_(1586)

https://www.bildindex.de/document/obj00290368  and https://www.bildindex.de/document/obj00290368

These are from de Bruyn.

These appear on both unmarried and married women, so I think these are a status symbol- I found single knives in cases on working women though.

So, any evidence that these are knives and forks:

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/210073?rpp=60&pg=1&rndkey=20140327&ao=on&ft=*&where=Europe&what=Knives&pos=38

This is later, but the case and cutlery are a match.

And

http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?assetId=1477461001&objectId=35872&partId=1

c1600.

Yes! I can make a case like this from the scraps of heavy russet I have. I think I’ll need to learn some techniques from shoemaking as I’ll want really crisp edges. But I’ll be able to embroider the case 🙂 or… I still have diamon shaped brass stampings I used for my Valois ouches set. They could be shaped to fit.

Anyway. Yay! Now I need to find a matching spoon to carry in my purse 🙂