Whoops. I have had to sort and categorise all my North Rhine research because I finally found a very small but very important stream of information in the form of both artwork and archives. One of the problems with both is being sure that what I’m seeing is indeed from the time.
One archive record I reread used a modern modern translation- both spelling and meaning- and I was about to put it in my stash of modernised records when I saw there was a scan, that while modernised it was not summarised so I was able to find the word in the scan. And yep. Modern translation and spelling but in a really easy to understand way so it means I now have a handful of matching modern records that I can use.
The second stream is potentially a record of four or five noble women that also confirm this. So another dissertation and journal on the way.
But all this tidying made it to my image files and I have now made 228 folders for individual paintings, and that doesn’t count the printed works and images of noble women. But it really has taken 15 years of repeated searches and not just in images and archives. I had to learn the dialect of the time to make sense. Interestingly one of the earliest articles I was sent (not OCR so I had to limit how much I hand typed from the 30 pages) confirms exactly what I have been reading.
But all of this needs to be presented as so many books are out of print, and I have had to back track a single repeated statement. I needed to do that as it’s become fact when it is really not at all.
I am currently making over all my jewelry for my Cleves ensemble so these are the references I am using.
One of the accessories Anne of Cleves wears is a striking collar like necklace made from wide stylised flowers set with large round gold beads between.
1539 nrw holbein anne portrait halsband1539 nrw holbein anne portrait miniature halsband1539 nrw bbda anne bernel halsband
This last version is most interesting as it matches so very closely to several other halsbander worn in cologne. Here are similar examples in chronological order.
1520 nrw unbek flugel frau mit 8 tochter 1 halsband (Also a wide kette around the gown opening)1520 nrw bbda beweinung christi halsband (a more standard kette worn over her shoulders as well.)1540 nrw bbda sibylla kessel halsband (A very wide ribbon type of kette outside her neckline)1538 nrw bbda flugel wolff frau mit 4 tochtern 1 halsband (compare her longer kette here to the extant examples below.)1565 nrw bbdj catharina von seigen geb kannegeisser halsband1575 nrw geldorp elisabeth von hackney halsband1587 nrw geldorp katharina von gail halsband
Of these most use a floral centre of some sort (passionflower maybe?) in a rounded/squared open worked gold with round gold beads/balls, at the points that the sections connect to.
Of the extant collars and gurdeln in the Nordrhein several use a hinge join between sections.
hinge: guertel heiligin anna, c1500 Dueren, St AnnaHinge: schuetzenkette, Goch, St Antonius, Emmerich
While others, usually the more open worked pieces, use a loop and ring.
Loop and ring: schuetzenkette sankt georgs bruderschaft, KleveLoop and ring: schuetzenkette sankt antonius bruderschaft, Kleveloop and ring: Schuetzenkette St Michael Bruderschaft, Goch
One final example uses loop and ring but further stabilises the pieces with stitches to a fabric base.
holes in each corner, thread in upper right corner and lower right corner: kette sebastians bruderschaft, Kalkarthread stitched through each loop at each corner: kette sebastians bruderschaft, Kalkar
I can’t seem to find the same kind of fastening between sections as used in the portraits but I hope also that these images help illustrate how very fine gold and silverwork was in this region and it was especially on display in these halsbander whether for personal or religious use. I also believe this kind of work was used on other accessories and my next post will deal with this.
Also of note, in this region a long kette (chain necklace) was worn but was usually of a single chain, occasionally of the latribbon type seen elsewhere but more often a simple solid oval ring, or ring with a slight twist to lay flat.
Sartor’s reproduction has a 36cm repeat of the pattern
So, for years I have wanted to recreate Anne of Cleves wedding gown or her black and gold gown. But I just have not found a brocade (or brocotelle, or cloth of gold) that really would match what I have seen or read.
Sartor’s other fabrics are magical, absolutely magical. But this weave, though it is 15th Century is closer to the fabric seen in the guarding of gowns all over the Saxon and Westfalen regions.
The fabric is being woven right now. So it’s not available as pre-order any more. I have enough to make the same style of dress as I have recently made or the same style dress as one of her mother’s gowns.
So this means I also need to publish my information about those images or this is my third pretty dress with no information.
I think I have a way to get through it though. I have a few blog posts already added. I just need to get all the Cologne information out first.
This means all the Bruyn portraits first.
Then I can do the Trachtenbuch information. (I have gone through what I think is finally all the books including the italian. I don’t think I have found any more images.)
Then the inventory information.
Or should I just publish the Cleves stuff. It would be out of context though. right lets see what the gallery functions of my blog can do to make it easier.
I think in Anglo-centric writings and art history there has been a lot of context missing when interpreting the clothing depicted in the portraits of Anne of Cleves.
I have also been looking through modelbuchs at embroidery and found some patterns that seem to be used in art (if not in entirely there are deer/hart that look to be worked in a similar fashion.
I was not able to find any pattern for the scrolling embroidery/weave of the fabric of Anna’s haube which reads “abon fine.”
This phrase has been interpreted to be her personal motto. However this same pattern is found on the clothing of other women across the Germanic states.
Burkmair was active in Augsburg and this portrait is of an Augsburg citizen.
Here the phrase is “a bon fino” In all cases “a bon” is contracted to read as “ABON.”
And on one of my favourite gowns of one of my favourite women in fashion history:
http://www.hdbg.de/portraitgalerie/gemaelde-18-zoom.php Bildnisdiptychon -Rechte Tafel: Bildnis der Maria Jacobaea von Baden, Herzogin von Bayern Maler: Hans Wertinger Datiert: 1526 Bild: Öl auf Holz, 69 x 45 – Inv.-Nr. 18
Of special interest is that his appears to be worked in pearls while the previous seem to be woven or embroidered in dark silk on gold, or may even be gold work.
Anne of Cleves has this motto in a similar pattern (capitalised on a geometric scroll effect outline, worked in alternating diagonal directions on a wide band.
Holbein’s portrait quite clearly show the design worked in red on gold. This may be woven as are most bands on hauben from this region. Most commonly they are purely geometric designs but of a similar scale.
Bruyn in particular captures the gold threads of woven patterns of women of Cologne.
St John’s copy of the Bruyn portrait (note the portrait I believe to be the original has a flat pearled baret masking the view of her haube. I believe the copies to not include the hat are copies as they do not perfectly represent the Stickelsche as it appears in work direct from Cologne. )
The design is worked upside down in comparison to all others (and this is repeated in other copies.) It is also worked in a pale colour, in the small digital copies it appears white or off white.
So this leads me to the most recently discovered potential portrait of Anna.
Having spent many years looking at Anne she doesn’t look anything like her. I have several portraits of the same women at different ages painted by the Bruyn workshop and there isn’t any resemblance to the Rosenbach portrait by Bruyn nor the Holbein portraits.
After a decade or more of looking at North Rhine paintings what sticks out to me is that this is absolutely not the clothing of Nobility of Cleves, Julich, and Berg. This is absolutely perfect for middle class clothing of Cologne. Very wealthy but very clearly of someone affected by sumputary laws.
Red velvet sleeves and brusttuchs are found repeatedly in inventories/documents of burgersfrau of Cologne.
The pendant is absolutely of a common shape, the girdle of a common type, the single wide chain necklance. Even the black on black fabric of her goller (kleyr) and gown.
The partlet under her gown is likewise of a type that puts her firmly in the city of Cologne.
It is also quite late in style. I would put this at 1550s. But this stage the Hat starts to look like a wing nut with a flat top and not just width at the upper side but lower side and is quite flat in regards to depth. And it very quickly changes shape again so that the sides sit much higher. After that it gets pinched back to the point it’s very hard to even see them behind the various linen pieces.
Commemorative paintings are not unusual, what is unusual is to lower the apparent status of the subject. Gold brocade trim on the gown at the very least would mark the subject as of nobility.
The painting looks from the surface to be from Bruyn’s workshop. The curved top of the canvas (though not the only shape), the shaded plain background, the flat table top in front of the subject. These are also seen in the other copies of the Rosenbach Bruyn.
Without access to information about the painting itself this asks many more questions than it answers.
In all the copies the words are upside down and in pale paint on warm gold. Could this indicate they are painted by someone not familiar with the physical properties of these hauben? Could that indicate they are all copies from outside of her homeland?
If so how can the details of this portrait match so well to the garments of burgersfrau of Cologne?
If this is by Bruyn (possibly the younger) does this mean the princesses could have worn clothing not indicative of their wealth? Or is this a deliberate statement?
Or could it be simply a portrait of an unrelated woman from Cologne?
There is very little in the way of imagery of real people from Cleves, Julich, and Berg from this time to be found online or printed in books. I have been very lucky to have a copy of the inventory of Jocabe of Juelich-Kleve-Berg but it is very definitely from a time where the Spanish influence has nearly overwritten the local clothing style. I have also been lucky enough to find/be lead to collections of inventories of women of Cologne.
A future blog post will explore the artwork of the Duchy, specifically those of the Duchess Maria and her Daughters (Sibylla, Amalia, and Anna.)
I still need to do some tidying, and I am definitely making a few more of these, so it’s not totally complete right now. I need to sit it slightly further forward too.
(Wearing my Kimmy Schmidt cardigan because it’s so much part of my new me- allowing myself to wear several colours at once.)
I added more pearls yesterday to the embroidery of the pink hat and sewed up the brim.
The seam allowance was caught through all layers with a pick stitch every 2″ which anchored the gathering running stitch into short curves that follow the edge. The prick stitches are nearly invisible on the other side.
The pearls were removed from the frame. I made two more circles of the same heavy duty fusible/shape-forming material to add extra support the pearl platter shape and basted a layer of shot silk to the inner most circle.
Then clipped the extra fabric to the same depth and gathered to create the turn under.This was easy as the support circles kept the shape perfectly.
I bound the edges and trapped the gathers in place. The silk is bias cut. I used to also believe this was fairly wasteful until I started to think like a workshop. Bias is not at all wasteful if you use a short length over several projects.
As an example. The skirt for the gown that this hat is made for used 3m of velveteen for the hem guarding. That is more than I used in the skirt. It is in part because I was cutting on the fly but I kept my seam allowance to a minimum.
But I used three strips of bias tape for the hem facing and about the same for the underskirt. And I have a lot of silk left over.
So, think about how many projects you can use your bias strips for and dedicate a length to that 🙂
The cap was pulled apart a few nights ago during a bit of insomnia and then I got to test a few lengths of brocade.
I decided on a denser piece of the same saree I used originally on this form. And I used the same silk as used in the bias tape to tidy the inside. I do not have any curved needles but I found a cheapie one that could be bent and oh they are perfect for this kind of seam.
The internal part of the headpiece can be of two shapes. This curved edge is seen in both linen and silk versions but I haven’t seen it with the flat cap as well. Only with a fairly pointed piece to put a jeweled strip over.
Sorry for the use of English terms. I don’t want to use terms that come from the area as I’m not convinced we have them correct. All the terms at this point are in a bit of fluidity. i think I’m getting closer and will do a proper run through very soon.
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
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.
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.
I’m taking a short break now from hand sewing. I have cohesive bandage to lay down as I think I’ll need it.
Anyway. I forgot how annoying and fiddly it is to hand sew a piled fabric to a fabric that is springy but without a pile. Thread just stretches and the turn under moves. Like moves moves. I am not sure I can adequately measure so I have to eye it.
I also think I’m doing it wrong. It’s absolutely right going by portraits but every single extant example has a narrow braid/twists of thread to hide what is likely a raw edge. Because yes, velbet has always been a PITA to work with. My best work involved making card templates and pressing and steaming my velveteen over it and still unpicking every single hem at least once.
I cut my guards to shape. 8cm wide from one selvage for the fronts and then I laid the fabric over my right sikirt front and pinned at regualr intervals 8cm for each guard. SO far so simple. But the velveteen has a nap. Which means turning and turning the remaining fabric to make sure the pile goes up- so the velveteen looks the most rich.
Then I lined up left over to the back centre which means piecing at the sides. This is based mainly on what Alcega has to say- actually all the Spanish tailors. All piecing is at the sides. Like everything. Or under arm, but basically sides are a mess, underarms next, CF and CB pretty much untouched. The Austrian tailors also show piecing in places we may not automatically think of.
I suspect it has everything to do with expectations. We expect no piecing- we limit most pattern pieces by the width of fabric. this is mostly okay when you can top and tail perfectly shaped pieces. But historically really special fabrics were narrow. So it was expected that they would not be wide enough so vertical seams at regualr intervals were expected. And ad they tend to be near the side seam it is a handy place to add any piecing as ther eis already an expectation of seams there.
So Centre Front and Centre back being, usually, cut with the selvages are expected to be continuous.
There are obviously exceptions. But this is the rule.
Anyway, so after matching fabric I was even able to follow the curve to cut my neckline guarding. And then was able to make strips for arm guarding.
I only hand sew while sitting cross legged. SO I do have to stop every so often to stretch. But knees make for a very handy “frame” to stitch. Also you can adjust tension by just moving, and also it only take a pin at each seam being worked on.
I’m not 100% convinced on the source being accurate. but I basically have two two portraits to go by otherwise, and they do confirm wide bands. And later examples show at least one wide band about the width of one of thee, and lots of religious paintings where it’s basically zero guarding. I think this is an acceptable variation in terms of colour, texture, and width of guarding. I like the tone on tone, the original is black on pink but it looks so Saxon. I love Saxon, and Cleves did have Saxon influence (Sybilla married the Duke and kept up correspondence with her brother so yes, very definitely an influence.)
So there is heaps to go and I have to pace myself or risk not being able to go to the event at all. I can work on hems while there as I have my linen kirtle and silk frock. So you know. I am set to just pack. But I want this dress and hat. And then I can upload my resources.
So i think I should do some stretches and call it an evening.
Also I have to get to the city some time soon. I know I have a reference for Jocabaa wearing frocks that outshone brides and also got numbers of how many cows brocade cost…
Yesterday was a bad luck day. It started with a health wobble (very old one, and it was definitely a whole lot better than it used to be) Mr Carlo going missing, rain, pale mamma duck lost one more duckling, I couldn’t find the glass jars I know one of the cheapie stores in Westfield or outer shops has, then my rheumy appointment was cancelled as I was already out there and finally Spotlight did not have any black velveteen which is what I wanted my pink Cleves gown trimmed in.
But they had a very dark maroon-crimson which actually I really do dig as a tone on tone type of deal. The colour and texture is definitely found in inventories- mainly as sleeves- and also in some illustrations. So I really only am unsure if that specific combo is okay. But the Duchy of Kleves, Julich, und Berg was much brighter and more in the Saxon mold than Cologne which was a free city and thus did not have any aristocracy and so portraits tend to show much more sober colour schemes. But I have seen a sort of lilac, lots of warm and cool red, and even a yellow gown on figures representing real people. Religious figures then to have much more
It also ended in Mr Carlo rushed to the vets as he was dealing with septicemia. He is a tiny kitty, about half the weight of any other cat I have met. So he is more delicate than he thinks and injuries are a lot harder on him.
Today we were hit harder by the storm and pale mamma lost all her babies in the wind. But she has just brought them around again a few hours later. Mr Carlo is a lot happier, he is liking pats and even tummy scritches. So today is much better.
I even finally scanned my passport photos and finished my online application so that is great.
Also Mr Ginger Fluff is sheltering on my bed from the storm. He is finally starting to properly rest.
So I feel okay about sitting and sewing today. It’s been a slow morning for the above reasons but it’s still productive.
Today I got my lining put together and pinned into the pink Cleves skirt, reshaped my hulle and steamed it into a nice curve (yep, millinery, so much steam and pressing and more steam and the stink of ammonia, and lanolin, and and more steam.) I have set it aside so I can make another pressing shape as my wulsts are really squishy.
And I did manage to tidy some of my inventory files. It’s still heavy on accessories other than hats and garments other than gowns. Which are you know, the most important part.
But I may also have a lead on looking for secondary texts. Gewand is used a fair amount so I’ve been brute force searching.
Meanwhile I do need to actually put those files in their proper places and transcribe them.
Of course the very best files are photos of documents but they are not of a resolution that I can read them. Which is annoying.
But, that is a lot of ironing of line lining and wool hat so… i’ll get that put away and get the files in place.
I am going full Cleves all the time 🙂 Ever since I read Anne of Cleves by Mary Saaler I have wanted to make all the outfits described as hers. I haven’t hit a jackpot in terms of a list of her wardrobe before she left for England but Hall cronicles her appearance enough. And I have gone and read a digitised reprint and it seems to ring true. But before all that I am trying to make a hat seen in my favourite protrait of her.
This was sold in London in 1930 and disappeared until The Rosenbach recently revealed that they had this portrait, https://rosenbach.org/blog/long-lost-triplets/ (Please note I have tried to adjust the perspective). This shows a gold coloured baret over a gold covered stickelsche with pearlwork (the colours can be identified in the Rosenback photos while the details can be seen in the copy from Saaler.
The St John’s Portrait is the one that is was X-rayed and discovered that her nose was originally painted longer. Of course historians have take that to mean he nose was made smaller to flatter. I believe it to simply have been a mistake. The Rosenbach portrait is clearly the most sensitively and deftly painted of all these portraits.
There are a few files of the St John’s portrait that are of different contrast levels. However I do believe this to be a different copy. It is clearly different based on the fall of the shadows of the fruit and the gloves. The tacks around the edges of the painting are not in the same position as the St John’s painting either.
Most files are now over at: http://www.kleio.org/ except this portrait. So I do not know the provenance.
This is from a photograph at the Witt Library and is part of an article in Burlington Magazine, “A Portrait of Anne of Cleves” March 1992, issue 134 pages 172-175. This is the only copy that keeps the three rows of brocade of the skirt- the majority of skirts of this region overlap so the three rows make sense in this light.
So that is five copies of this portrait from close to her time in England- though in absolutely classic dress from her home. The mix of Dutch and Saxon styles is particularly clear.
