The Stiftsmuseum Xanten, Germany, displays an unusually embroidered maniple (107.5 x 8 cm) dating to the second quarter of the 14th century. The maniple is made of red silk and displays seven scenes of the Passion. All-over embroidered maniples are rare. Usually, they consist of a strip of the same Read more
Nearly a year ago, I visited the small museum of Kloster Kamp and spent a delightful afternoon with a beautifully embroidered antependium. As the embroidery dates to the first half of the 14th century and was probably made in Cologne (the Abbey had property there), it is well-suited for comparison Read more
Last week, I took the train to Burtscheid (Aachen) to revisit the 14th-century goldwork embroidery. I took lots of pictures so I can study the embroidery from the comfort of my home, with the bonus of blowing them up on screen. We already know that the embroideries are no longer Read more
I first discovered the charming 14th-century goldwork embroideries of the former Abbey Church of St. Johann in Burtscheid, near Aachen, in the literature. My first visit a couple of months ago was graciously made possible by the parish sacristan and the Historical Society of Burtscheid. We agreed that these embroideries Read more
In the coming blog posts, we will look at medieval goldwork embroidery produced in Venice, Italy. We are going to start with a beautifully embroidered mitre kept in the Germanisches National Museum in Nuremberg, Germany. The mitre (KG 709) was purchased by the museum from an antiques dealer in Cologne Read more
In the past, my tutorials have shown you how to layer different layers of embroidery on top of each other to get a particularly sumptuous result. This goldwork embroidery tutorial will add to your skills. This time, you will add a beautiful layer of silken flowers freehand. That’s right—no pattern Read more
The past two weeks, we have looked at two beautifully embroidered vestments from the Cathedral Treasury of Gdańsk, Poland. The first one was a white chasuble with Bohemian embroidery, and the second one was a red chasuble with locally produced embroidery. Both chasubles are on permanent display in the Germanisches Read more
Last week, we looked at the first of a series of embroidered vestments from the Cathedral Treasury of St Mary’s in Gdańsk. This week, I have another one for you, featuring whimsical angels. The chasuble cross was likely embroidered in an embroidery workshop in Gdańsk around AD 1430. And there’s Read more
Last week, I reviewed the long-awaited catalogue on the textiles of the Halberstadt Cathedral Treasury. Another Cathedral Treasury with many embroidered vestments from the late medieval period is now divided between Germany and Poland. As in Halberstadt, the textiles of Gdańsk’s St Mary’s Church had survived in the Cathedral Treasury Read more
On Saturday morning, a very large and heavy parcel arrived. It contained the five-part catalogue of the Cathedral Treasury of Halberstadt. In the making since 2011, they are now finally out in the open. As the books can only be bought as a set, it is quite a financial outlay. Read more