46/2018- A good quality wool fabric from Uppsala

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Denna textil är hittad vid utgrävningarna i kvarteret Rådhuset i Uppsala. Textilien är daterad till 1200-1500. Idag är den en del av samlingarna från Historiska Museet.

Fragmentet är ett ylletyg, vävt i  2/2 kypert och är av en relativt fin kvalité, även om den i dag är mycket tunnsliten. Varptråden är tunn och jämn, den är Z-spunnen med många snoddvarv per cm. Inslaget är lite tjockare än varpen. Inslaget är S- spunnet och har inte heller lika många snoddvarv per cm, detta medför att inslaget är lösare och fyller ut mer än vad varpen gör, i tyget. Därför är det också färre inslag per cm än det är med antalet varptrådar per cm. Att förhållandet mellan inslag och varp är så här pass olika är mycket vanligt under medeltiden.

Tittar man noga längs kanterna finns det på sina håll tydliga lämningar av tidigare stygn. Dessa stygn syns idag som ett antal runda små hål, och de är placerade på rad efter varandra. Jämnt fördelade.

Fragmentet räknar vi till grupp 3 – fragment av utslitna klädesplagg. Det skulle mycket väl ha kunnat varit ett klädesplagg ursprungligen. Vilket plagg tror du att det kan ha varit en del av?

Trevlig helg,
Amica och Maria


Photo: Ola Myrin, SHM

This textile fragment was found at the excavations at Rådhuset (City Hall) in Uppsala. The textile is dated to 1200-1500. Today it is part of the collections at The Swedish History Museum.

The fragment is a woolen fabric, woven in 2/2 twill and of a relatively fine quality, although today it is very worn and thin. The warp threads are thin and even, they are Z-spun with a high twist per cm. The weft is a bit thicker than the warp. The warp is S-spun and does not have as many twists per cm, which means that the warp is looser and fills out the fabric more than the warp does. Therefore, there are also fewer weft threads per cm than warp threads per cm. This kind of sett is very common during the Middle Ages.

Looking closely along the edges, remains of previous stitches are plainly visible. These stitches can be seen today as a number of small round holes, evenly spaced in a row. We classify the fragment as group 3 – fragments from worn-out garments. It could very well have been a garment originally.
What do you think it may have been a part of?

Happy weekend!
Amica and Maria

44/2018- The archaeological medieval textile fragments from Swedish cities

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På Historiska museet i Stockholm pågår just nu ett arbete med att förbättra och dela information om de ca 1000 medeltida arkeologiska textilfragment som museet förvaltar. Det innebär att nya bilder fotograferas och fragmenten kommer att analyseras och kategoriseras i visuella grupper, som gör att de blir lättare att prata om olika textilkvalitéer. Bild och analys kommer sedan att föras in i museets databas och bli sökbart. Det kommer dock dröja ytterligare innan det är publicerat eftersom museet byter föremålsförvaltningssystem. Men vi kan inte hålla oss utan kommer börja lägga upp fina nyfotograferade fynd här på vår blogg.

Fyndmaterialet som nu gås igenom kommer från arkeologiska utgrävningar som gjorts framförallt på 1970-talet i olika svenska städernas stadskärnor. En del av samlingen som finns på museet kommer från Enköping, från kvarteret Traktören, och den första textilien som vi visar idag kommer därifrån.

Det arkeologiska medeltida textilfragmenten från våra städer kan delas in i fem grupper
1- borttappade föremål, ex en vante
2 -spill från tillverkning
3 -fragment av utslitna klädesplagg
4 -rester av grövre emballage textil
5 -trådar, filtad ull eller lös ull

Av de ca 1000 fragmenten som finns på museet tillhör en mycket liten del grupp ett.

Fragmentet på bilden är en 2/1 kypert, ull. Fragmentet är mycket slitet så det kommer troligen från ett utslitet klädesplagg eller en inrednings textil som exempelvis en dyna. Idag är textilen ljusbrun och ingen synlig färg framträder. Men om man tittar uppe till höger i bilden syns släppta trådar. Detta indikerar att det här har varit en vävd rand som bundit i tuskaft/ inslagsrips. Dateringen är “medeltid”. Vi placerar denna väv till 1300-talet då den har det karakteristiska ränderna som är vanliga för tiden.
/ Amica och Maria

Foto Ola Myrin, SHM

At the Historical Museum in Stockholm, work is right now being done to improve and share information about the approximately 1000 medieval archaeological textiles that the museum manages. This means that new photos are being taken and the fragments will be analyzed and categorized into visual groups, that will make it easier to talk about different textile qualities. Photo and analyzed result will then be uploaded into the museum’s database and become searchable. However, it will take some time before it is published because the museum is changing the system for the database. But we can’t wait and will start posting nice photos of the finds here on our blog.

The material currently under review comes from archeological excavations made mainly in the 1970s in the city centers of different cities in Sweden. A part of the collection that is found at the museum comes from Enköping, from the quarter of Traktören, and the first textile presented today comes from there.

The archaeological medieval textile fragments from our cities can be divided into five groups
1 – lost items, for an exempel, a mitten
2 – left overs from manufacture
3 -fragments from worn out garments
4 – residue of coarser packaging textile
5 – threads, felted wool or loose wool

Of the approximately 1,000 fragments found in the museum a very small part belongs to group 1.

The fragment is a 2/1 twill, wool. The fragment is very worn, so it probably comes from a worn out garment or an interior textile, like as a cushion. Today the textile is light brown and no visible color is shown. But if you look at the top right in the picture you see some loose threads. This indicates that this textile have had a woven stripe, woven in plain weave/ extended tabby. The dating is “medieval”. We place this fabric in the 14th century as it has the characteristic stripes that are commonplace at the time.

The fabric is what we would describe as an medium quality suitable for an example kirtles and hoods.
/ Amica and Maria

42/2018- Close up Birka

We would like to wish you all a happy weekend with some close up pictures of some finds from the excavation from Birka, Björkö, Sweden.

The finds from Birka are world famous. Not only the amazing metal finds with brooches, swords and a lot of bling. But also for some breathtaking tablet woven bands with brocade in both silver and gold. Not to mention the super cool posaments finds attached to hats and other items.

Today we focus on the lovely small pieces of decorative wool textiles. And a lovely deer in gold thread. The first two pictures are both pieces of woven tapestry, the third picture is a brocaded tabby/type “krabbasnår”  and the fourth is the weird deer.

Dating 850- 1000 AD.
We have now over 11.000 followers on our Facebook page and we are super happy that you follow the page and that you share and comment on the posts we add. You all are very precious to us <3

Hugs,
Amica and Maria

 

27/ 2018- A Swedish point

We would like to wish you all a happy weekend with a historical textile related artifact!
This week we show you a lace end, a point.
We would also like to celebrate that we have now over 10400 followers on Facebook <3

The lace end, the point,  is excavated from the nunnery of Gudhem, Västergötland, Sweden. Dating 1100-1500 AD. The nunnery was closed 1529 AD. We guess that the item might comes from the 14-15th century.

It’s a simple piece of twisted brass or copper wire, leaving an opening for the lace thread. The cut end have been hammered so that the metal wires are smooth and form a point. There is no traces left of textile on this particular piece. But there are other twist point’s that still have a textile cord attached to it, so we are certain that this kind of twist points were used as lace points. Approx. size 4cm.

This piece can be found in the collections of Historiska museet in Stockholm, Sweden. Here is a link to the find in the database ( no picture).

Happy weekend!
/ Amica and Maria

ps. sorry for the crappy picture- we are gong to give you more pictures of twist points in the future.

SparaSpara

25/2018- From Herjolfsnes, Greenland

We would like to wish you all a happy weekend with a historical textile!
It’s late and we have been working hard in the dye pots all day long. But to keep our promise, to give you nice pictures once a week, we just post pictures of a celebrity everyone already know.

From the exhibition at National museum in Copenhagen, Denmark. A children’s kirtle made in wool from Herjolfsnes on Greenland.
Check out the lovely 2/2 twill and the nice front gore. The kirtle is dated to late 14th century ( please tell us if we are wrong- can’t find the book at this hour…) !

Happy weekend!
/ Amica and Maria

SparaSpara

23/ 2018- The weekend picture – Relic box from Vadstena

We would like to wish you all a happy weekend with a  historical textile.

This week we focus on a relic box from Vadstena abbey church,  Östergötland, Sweden.
The abbey was founded in 1346 by Saint Bridget with the assistance of King Magnus IV of Sweden and his Queen Blanche of Namur, who made a will donating ten farms, including that of Vadstena in Dal Hundred, Östergötland, to the abbey founded by Bridget.

The relic box is dated to mid 15th century and it was made by the nuns at the abbey. The surface is covered in silk embroidery with additional details in gold. The inscription on the box says: stud capud est onnis sancti martiris qui suit de co(n) soriis sancti gereonis martiris
The box have got a pale red linen lining. The box and the foot is made out of wood.

The relic box can be found in the collections of Statens Historiska museum in Sweden.
Here is the link to the object in the database.

Happy weekend!
/ Amica and Maria

SparaSpara

22/2018 – The weekend picture’s- New photos

We would like to wish you all a happy weekend with  historical textile news.

This week we focus on the textile collection at Statens Historiska museum in Stockholm, Sweden. This is the working place of Amica Sundström, from Historical textiles, where she works as the textile curator.

Right now the museum are taking new photos of the textile collection. That means high resolution pictures of the textile collection that can be found online in the near future.

Happy weekend!
/ Amica and Maria

 

SparaSpara

18/ 2018- The weekend picture’s

We would like to wish you all a happy weekend with a  historical textile.

This week we focus on a chasuble in silk from Ösmo church, Södermanland, Sweden. The church is whose oldest parts are from the 1100s, is mostly famous for it’s paintings  made by Albertus Pictor.
The fabric is a silk damask in a pomegranate pattern, from Italy. Now pale red/ pinkish.
It’s decorated with two different tablet woven bands.  The band that is attached to the back of chasuble, in the shape of a cross,  is woven in silk with gold thread in the brocading weft. Green and blue silk is still visible on that band. The band that is attached around the neck line is possibly made from linen and have a gold thread in the brocading weft. We find is quite amusing that the neck band is not at all centered in the front.

The shape of the chasuble have been changed and some material have been cut off. The item shows some interesting piecing and give us an idea that the fabric was once very valuable. There are no traces of pattern matching. The seams shows that the silk fabric was sewn together with back stitches.  One can see the characteristic V-shaped stitches through the gap in between the pieces.
The linen lining is very impressive with it’s dark blue colour. Most likely dyed with woad.

The chasuble can be found in the collections of Statens Historiska museum in Sweden.
Here is the link to the object in the database. The chasuble is dated to mid -to late 15th century.

Happy weekend!
/ Amica and Maria

All images subject to CC BY SA. Photographer: Historical Textiles, specified at sharing of images. Make sure to do the same with the pictures from Historiska

Advent calendar 25 December 2017

Our twenty-fifth and last calendar post is an embroidery in silk and gold. From Vadstena convent church, Sweden.

Here we can see a close up on the newly born baby Jesus and his mother Mary.

The embroidery is dated early 15th century.

Now in collections of Historiska museet, Sweden.

We would like to thank you all that have followed our advent calendar and wish you all a Merry Christmas.

/ Amica and Maria.