15th century

Advent calendar December 14 2020

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Today we give you a close up on an embroidery that have something that is pretty unusual. Glass beads and something that could possibly be coral pearls.

Pretty often old embroideries have been stripped of their pearls and beads. So it’s rare to have an embroidery with some left.

The beads and pearls are threaded on a silk or linen thread and then the thread have been sewn down in between every bead. The corals are threaded on a red silk and the glass beads on a blue silk or linen thread.

The embroidery is dated to 15th century. And it’s a mitre from Linköping cathedral, Sweden. The mitre is covered with embroidery and enamelled plates with different saint on them. But the mitre is also covered with small pearls.

The mitre is dated to 1350- 1490 AD. 

Now in collections of Historiska museet, Sweden.
/ Amica and Maria
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Advent calendar December 13 2020

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Today all swedes celebrate a saint. St Lucia. So let’s go for a saint today. Or two.

This lovely chasuble in blue velvet decorated with embroidery on the back. A magnificent piece! Check out the piecing on the bottom of the chasuble.

Dated late 15th century. In the collections of National museum, Danmark

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Advent calendar December 12 2020

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Today we post a picture of a small piece from an embroidery, silk on linen. It’s a sort of brick stitch that is called eye stitch in Swedish. We don’t know the English term.

It’s quite small and described as a part of an antependium.

Dated to 14-15th century. Now in the collection of the treasury in Uppsala cathedral.

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Advent calendar December 11 2020

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When we analyse old textiles we use simple equipment. Phones, a clip on magnifier, glass magnifier, measuring tape, ruler and in special cases we use a USB microscope.
Here you can see the benefits of using a clip on magnifier. It’s a simple thing that you can buy at any IT shop that sells mouses or charger for phones.

This piece is a linen fragment from the so called The time capsule . You can find more finds related to it at our blog.

The linen fragment have got lovely decorations at the edge.
We don’t know what it was before it became a fragment. A part of a veil? A towel? A table cloth?
It you have any suggestions- please write them in the comments!
/ Amica & Maria

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Advent calendar December 10 2020

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Today we want to show you some spangles/ sequins and some mini-mini pearls.
It’s a top of a sudarium. The top is silk, metal thread, linen thread, spangles and pearls.
The linen is also embroidered with red and blue silk. The seams are covered with silk ribbons, woven in a rigid heddle.

Dated to 15th century.
Today in the collections of The Swedish History Museum.
/ Amica & Maria
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Advent calendar December 8 2020

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Today we give you an old textile and it’s reconstructed younger cousin.
The Dalhem 1 coverlet, gilt leather and intarsia technique. Dated to 15th century.
Today in the collections od The Swedish History museum.

Reconstruction made by many people. Read more about the project here:
/ Amica & Maria
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Advent calendar December 5 2020

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Today we would like to present an altar cloth woven in brocaded on the counted thread. Woven in linen. The pattern is today very white, but have a tiny, tiny, blue tint. It is possibly that the pattern originally was dyed blue.

The tablet woven band sewn to the edge is woven with 2 plied linen thread in the warp. 6 tablets set in VVV.
Dated to the 15th century.

Today in the collections of The Swedish History museum.
/ Amica & Maria
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Advent calendar December 4 2020

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Todays post is two painted saints on an antependium.
Paint on a plain weave, linen. Dated to the second half of the 15th century.

The antependium can be found in the collections of The Swedish History Museum.
/ Amica and Maria

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Advent calendar December 1 2020

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The last few years we have put together an Advent calendar during december. Out plan is to do the same this year. But since the new plague hit our world we have not been traveling at all. And we might lack a bunch of “new” historical textiles to show you. We are doing the best we can to show you hidden gems in our photo collections. It’s possible that we bring up new angles of a piece that we have shown you before. Hope you can find joy in a recycled textile too.

Our first post is an embroidery:
The peacock on the Masku coverlet, Finland. Intarsia technique.
Wool fabric in green ( now with a blue tint since the yellow dyestuff have faded), dark blue, white and red. Also thin cotton or linen fabrics as decoration on the top of the antennas. The silvred/gilded leather have fallen off in the majority of places. The stitching shows where they were placed.

The coverlet is in the collections of the National Museum of Finland.
Dated to 15th century.
/ Amica and Maria
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