Today, 24th of December, we celebrate Christmas ( Jul) in Sweden.
That means this is the last calendar post. We hope that you have enjoyed this years calendar and that you have seen things that you haven’t seen before.
Todays post is a Swedish embroidery. Wool on linen. Dated mid 15th century.
We have analysed the embroidery and a full report will come soon.
Merry Christmas and a Happy new year!
/ Amica and Maria
Photo: Historical Textiles- please cred if sharing.
The Fogdö embroidery is made with long armed cross stitches. It’s dated to early 16th century.
St George is often depicted in late medieval art. Here we can see George with a lovely jousting shield fighting the dragon with a very long sword… The embroidery is very well preserved, but on some places you can see that the wool yarn have worn off and the tabby linen weave is exposed.
Today it is found in the collections of Historiska Museet, Stockholm, Sweden.
/ Amica and Maria
Photos: Historical Textiles- pease cred us if sharing
Plant dyed fade over time. The more light they are exposed to the faster the fading goes. What was dyed on a large scale in historical times was wool and silk. Linen is difficult to dye, unless it’s blue.
Sometimes you are lucky and can see the backside of an old textile. The backside have often been protected from light and are therefore of stronger colours then the front side.
Here- a gilded leather embroidery dated to mid 15th century. Skokloster 2, today in the collections of Historiska museet, Stockholm, Sweden. To the right you can see the front, and in the middle the backside. Compare and see for yourself.
The 6th calendar post is applications on the Dalhem 2 embroidery. The M is in fine linen and the boarder is in a fairly thick wool.
Dating late 15th early 16th century.
In the collections of the Historical museum, Stockholm, Sweden
/ Amica and Maria
Photos: Historical Textiles- pease cred us if sharing
Today we in Sweden celebrates Christmas.
Our twenty fourth advent calendar post is a silk and gold thread embroidery. It’s made in the studio connected to the famous painter Albertus Pictor. Aka Albert Pärlstickare ( bead/ pearl embroider).
The embroidery is a back shield and was originally attached to a cope from Maria church, Sigtuna, Sweden.
The shield is dated to mid- late 15th century.
Now in collections of Historiska museet, Sweden.
God jul!
/Amica and Maria
Photo: Historical Textiles
Our twenty-third advent calendar post is a relics purse from Troyes, France. This relics purse is connected to the Comtes de Champagne. The whole surface of the purse is filled with counted embroidery made in filament silk. We don’t know what is underneath the stitches, but we guess at a very evenly woven linen.
We were really surprised bu the size of the purse, it’s quite large. Approx. 20- 25 cm in the bottom of the purse.
It’s in great condition and the small lovely turks head knots around the bottom and the lid are super cute and impressivly even.
This piece is dated to 13th century.
Now in collections of the Troyes Cathedral
/ Amica and Maria
Photo: Historical Textiles
Our twenty-second advent calendar post is a detail from a gilded leather coverlet from Dalhem church, Småland, Sweden. This one is called Dalhem 2 since the church have got not only one but two coverlets connected to the church.
We would like you to look at the fabrics. The hard spun warp on the red fabric ( shows horizontal on the picture) and the thicker weft. And on the white fabric, that has got a z- spun warp and s-spun weft- giving a very dense look of the fabric. It gives sometimes a visual look of knitting when seen from the diagonal.
They piece is dated to late 15th early 16th century.
Now in collections of Historiska museet, Sweden.
/ Amica and Maria
Photo: Historical Textiles
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
Our tenth advent calendar post is a sudarium from an unknown Swedish church. The top of the sudarium is made from a black velvet fabric, and is covered with gold spangles, pearls and gold thread embroideries. Colourful silk bands are attached around the top.
Possibly a work by the Birtgittin nuns from Vadstena.
The sudarium is dated to 15th century.
Now in collections of Historiska museet, Sweden.
/ Amica and Maria
Photo: Historical Textiles
Our ninth advent calendar post is 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. They are really small. Some are not more then 2,5 mm in diameter.
Over time a lot of embroideries, from this period of time, have over time lost the majority of their pearls. But this lovely mitre have still got some left.
The mitre is dated to 1350- 1490 AD.
Now in collections of Historiska museet, Sweden.
/ Amica and Maria
Photo: Historical Textiles
