Author: Maria

Advent calendar December 20th 2018

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Our twentieth advent calendar post is a small fragment of linen. Also today we show a quite unusual piece. It is a dark red linen fabric from Italy.
The fragment have got a small seam but we can’t say what it use to be. We know from sources that dyed linen did occur during the late medieval period in Italy. But it’s not the dye that we want you to focus on today.

We would like you to look at the seam. Check out the tiny back stitches. The scale above show millimeters. The stitches are less than 1 mm each.

They fragment is dated to late 15th early 16th century. 

Now part of the secret Italian collection.
/ Amica and Maria
Photo: Historical Textiles 

Tiny stitches

Advent calendar December 19th 2018

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Our nineteenth advent calendar post is a small fragment of a wool fabric item. The fabric is something quite unusual. The warp and the weft have very different colours, warp lighter and weft darker. This is not something common, at all. The fabric have gone brown after years in the ground, but even before it must have been a clear visual difference of the warp and the weft. It’s woven in 2/2 twill. The fragment also have some seams. It was clearly sewn into something before it ended up in the ground in the city of Enköping, Västmanland, Sweden. 

They fragment is dated to 13-15th century. 

Now in collections of Historiska museet, Sweden.
/ Amica and Maria
Photo: Historical Textiles 

Advent calendar December 17th 2018

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Our seventeenth advent calendar post is an alb with embroideries.  The alb comes from Brännkyrka kyrka, Södermanland, Sweden. It is made of of the thinnest linen and is in great condition considering it’s age. 

The embroideries are made with silk thread and metal spangles. 

They alb is dated to 17th century.  

Now in collections of Historiska museet, Sweden.
/ Amica and Maria
Photo: Historical Textiles

Advent calendar December 16th 2018

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Our sixteenth advent calendar post is a selection of spindle whorls. They all comes from various archeological excavations from different Swedish cities. The whorls are made out of clay, lead, and bone. 

The whorls have different shapes and weighs differently. 

They whorls are dated 13-16th century. 

Now in collections of Historiska museet, Sweden.
/ Amica and Maria
Photo: Historical Textiles

  • Clay
  • Approx. 3 cm Ø
  • Lead – 42,2 g, approx. 3,5 cm Ø
  • Clay
  • Approx. 3 cm Ø
  • Clay
  • Approx. 2,5- 3 cm Ø
  • Bone
  • Approx. 3 cm Ø

Advent calendar December 15th 2018

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Our fifteen advent calendar post is, once agin not a textile but a textile tool, a rigid heddle is from Västkinde, Gotland, Sweden. It’s made out of elk horn.

It is decorated on both sides. The size is H. 4,7 cm , W. 4,5 cm.

The rigid heddle is dated to 1350- 1490 AD.

Now in collections of Historiska museet, Sweden.
/ Amica and Maria
Photo: Historical Textiles

Advent calendar December 14th 2018

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Our fourteenth advent calendar post is a tablet woven band with a now missing fringe. The band is in white and blue linen and the now missing fringe was originally in silk.
The band is attached to a altar cloth.
We are not 100% certain of the dating so we will get back to it.
Now in collections of Historiska museet, Sweden.
/ Amica and Maria
Photo: Historical Textiles

Advent calendar December 13th 2018

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Our thirteenth advent calendar post is two copes from Uppsala cathedral, Sweden. They are both made out of silk brocade with membran gold thread.  The fabrics are both produced in Lucca in Italy. 

The copes are dated to the second half of the 14th century. 

Now in the collections of the cathedral Treasury Museum, Uppsala , Sweden.
/ Amica and Maria
Photo: Historical Textiles

Advent calendar December 12th 2018

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Our twelfth advent calendar post is once again items from the Oseberg burial, Norway. But this time it is fragments from a tablet woven bands.
The textile is made out of wool. 

The ship, from where the textile was found, was built 820 AD and the grave was covered  834 AD. The ship was covered with clayey soil. This has protected the grave as clay-rich soil is very low in oxygen.

Now in the collections of Kulturhistorisk museum, Oslo, Norway.
/ Amica and Maria
Photo: Historical Textiles

Advent calendar December 11th 2018

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Our eleventh advent calendar post is once again a piece of a decorative weave from the Oseberg burial, Norway. It’s a piece from the same decorative weave as in this lovely film we linked to today. 
The textile is made out of wool. 

The ship, from where the textile was found, was built 820 AD and the grave was covered  834 AD. The ship was covered with clayey soil. This has protected the grave as clay-rich soil is very low in oxygen.

Now in the collections of Kulturhistorisk museum, Oslo, Norway.
/ Amica and Maria
Photo: Historical Textiles