Let’s trace changes in embroidery techniques from the 14th to the 16th century by examining a popular biblical story. The scene of Noli me tangere (touch me not), in which Mary Magdalene visits the grave and finds it empty, is one of my favourite biblical scenes rendered in medieval embroidery. Read more
Today’s embroidery tutorial was inspired by the tablecloth of the Last Supper in a 14th-century Italian embroidery. By couching down a pair of twisted cream silk threads with a thin, untwisted cream silk thread, it looks as if the tablecloth is made of damask. This is a clever way to Read more
In my current exploration of Opus florentinum goldwork embroidery, I came across an orphrey fragment that puzzles me. Firstly, what does it depict? Is this the Lamentation of Christ as the museum caption suggests? Or is this the Entombment of Christ? And why is the embroidery executed the way it Read more
I saw the Jewelry Code exhibition live in Munich last week and was blown away by the powerful messages these female artists conveyed. Using data in a post-truth world in our needlework art is a new concept to me and one that I think is worth exploring and implementing. Although Read more
Opus florentinum is a style of embroidery that is characterised by the use of split stitch and surface couched gold thread. It flourished in the 14th and 15th centuries, and its products could and can be found in church treasuries all over Europe. Just like Opus anglicanum, Opus florentinum has Read more
The Musée de Cluny presented a lovely collection of embroidered alms pouches from the 14th century in its 2019/2020 exhibition. Some were definitely made in Paris; others were made in cities elsewhere in France known for their embroidery workshops, such as Toulouse, Lyon, and Tours. Although the names under the Read more
A beautiful mitre attributed to Jean le Noir (and his daughter Bourgot) was exhibited at the Musée de Cluny in 2020. When I walked into the Museu Episcopal the Vic many years later, I saw a similar mitre on display. Looking both mitres up in the literature, confirmed that art Read more
This week, we’ll return to the Museu Episcopal de Vic in Spain. Apart from the Vic Cope, the museum has many more medieval embroidered textiles worth exploring. First up is an antependium that was likely made in the workshop of the Monastery of San Joan de les Abadesses. Between AD Read more
Today, we will explore a beautiful piece of Opus anglicanum embroidery from the third quarter of the 14th century. It is known as the “Vic Cope”, after the Cathedral it was used in, and is now kept at the Museu Episcopal Vic in Spain. By the way, this museum should Read more
Last week, we looked at an embroidered maniple from the Stiftsmuseum Xanten dating to the 14th-century. This week, we will study a beautifully embroidered alms pouch from the same era and kept at the same museum. Non-religious embroidery from the Middle Ages has rarely survived. This particular secular alms pouch Read more