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
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
Last year, I spent many delightful hours studying the Bologna Cope at the Museo Civico Medievale in Bologna, Italy. This Opus anglicanum cope was made in England between AD 1310 and 1320. The cope was also displayed at the epic Opus anglicanum exhibition in the V&A in 2016/2017. Although the Read more
Identifying an embroidery stitch correctly on a historic piece is not always easy. As inspecting the back for correct identification is often necessary, historic embroideries can be challenging. Either the back cannot be checked due to a lining or is displayed, so it is inaccessible. The solution? Make embroidery samples Read more