Medieval Goldwork Embroidery Blog by the Acupictrix

Burtscheid - late 14th century embroidery showing the Annunciation

St Johann in Burtscheid – late 14th century embroidery

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 attached to their original vestments (or to something else original), but what can the embroidery techniques themselves tell us about them? Was this the work Read more

By Dr Jessica Grimm, ago
St Johann Burtscheid - Adoration of the Magi (dalmatic), embroidery late 14th century.

St Johann in Burtscheid – 14th-century goldwork embroidery

In early 2024, I 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 deserve to be known to a broader audience. I will therefore return to Burtscheid this week to study the embroideries more extensively to Read more

By Dr Jessica Grimm, ago
Goldwork Embroidery made in Venice - Mitre KG 709, Germanisches National Museum

Goldwork Embroidery from Venice – 14th-century Mitre KG 709

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 in 1890. Unfortunately, nothing is known about its provenance. However, a closer inspection of who is depicted on the mitre does hint at its original Read more

By Dr Jessica Grimm, ago
Goldwork embroidery Tutorial - Fancy Floral Blanket

Goldwork embroidery tutorial: Fancy Floral Blanket

In the past, my tutorials have shown you how to layer different layers ofembroidery on top of each other to get a particularly sumptuous result. Thisgoldwork embroidery tutorial will add to your skills. This time, you will add a beautiful layer of silken flowers freehand. That’s right—no pattern transfer required. This will be really good practice for estimating sizes and aiming for consistency. The sample is based on a blanket seen on a cope from Read more

By Dr Jessica Grimm, ago
Embroidered vestments - Green cope with embroidered orphreys (detail), M 25, Sankt Annen Museum.

Embroidered vestments of Gdańsk’s St Mary’s Church part III

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 Nationalmuseum in Nuremberg. Today, I am going to show you a cope kept at the Sankt Annen Museum in Lübeck. This museum rotates parts of Read more

By Dr Jessica Grimm, ago
Embroidered vestments - Red chasuble (back) with detail embroidered cross, KG 1332.

Embroidered vestments of Gdańsk’s St Mary’s Church part II

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 even a related piece in the Cathedral Treasury of Uppsala in Sweden! Today’s chasuble is on permanent display at the Germanisches Nationalmuseum in Nuremberg. The Read more

By Dr Jessica Grimm, ago
Embroidered vestments - White chasuble (detail back) with Bohemian embroidery, Germanisches Nationalmuseum KG 1331.

Embroidered vestments of Gdańsk’s St Mary’s Church

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 up to the Second World War. Prof. Dr Mannowsky published the last part of the five-part catalogue in 1938. At that point, 541 pieces were Read more

By Dr Jessica Grimm, ago
Book Review - Die Textilien im Domschatz zu Halberstadt

Book Review: Die Textilien im Domschatz zu Halberstadt

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. In addition, the books are written in German. So, you might like a book review to help you decide whether to start eating peanut butter-jelly Read more

By Dr Jessica Grimm, ago
Medieval Stumpwork - Detail Dormition, Domschatz Fritzlar, Inv. Nr. 705071, around AD 1500, Germany.

Medieval Stumpwork: a chasuble at Domschatz Fritzlar

After having shown you a chasuble cross and a chasuble with outstanding medieval stumpwork, you might feel a little disappointed with this week’s chasuble from Domschatz Fritzlar. Although perhaps not immediately apparent, the embroidery, likely made around AD 1500 in Germany, is actually quite unique. It combines mass-produced standardised design with a few very effective stumpwork techniques. This demonstrates that even mass-produced embroidery can be enhanced to make it more unique. A bit like changing Read more

By Dr Jessica Grimm, ago
Medieval Stumpwork Chasuble Domschatzmuseum Chur

Medieval Stumpwork: a chasuble at Domschatzmuseum Chur

Last week, we examined a medieval stumpwork chasuble cross from the Domschatzmuseum Chur in Switzerland. This week, I have a very special stumpwork chasuble for you, which is also on display at the Domschatzmuseum Chur. So far, scholars have mainly been interested in the pseudo-Arabic silk fabric of the chasuble. So much so, that the bishop could sell the front part of the chasuble (but luckily not the embroidery!) in the 1940s to raise money Read more

By Dr Jessica Grimm, ago