Medieval Goldwork Embroidery Blog by the Acupictrix

Medieval stumpwork chasuble cross, around AD 1500, Domschatzmuseum Chur

Medieval Stumpwork: a chasuble cross @ Domschatzmuseum Chur

Last year, whilst on my way to visit my friend Sister M. Chiara, I stumbled upon some lovely medieval stumpwork at the Domschatzmuseum in Chur, Switzerland. Until then, I had no idea that these pieces existed. Late medieval stumpwork is a lot less rare than most people think. However, as these pieces are so unconventional, not many art historians have dared to study them in depth. After all, they are not your average embroidery, but Read more

By Dr Jessica Grimm, ago
Order of the Golden Fleece - Dalmatic back, Imperial Treasury Vienna, Inv. Nr. KK 16.

Order of the Golden Fleece: Dalmatic and Tunicella

This past month, we have examined the magnificently embroidered vestments of the Order of the Golden Fleece, exhibited at the Imperial Treasury in Vienna. On this blog, you can find an article providing a general overview of the literature, as well as articles on the antependia, the three copes, and the chasuble. To conclude the series, this week, we will examine the dalmatic (worn by the deacon) and the tunicella (worn by the subdeacon). Construction-wise, Read more

By Dr Jessica Grimm, ago
Order of the Golden Fleece - Chasuble front, Imperial Treasury Vienna, Inv. Nr. KK 14.

Order of the Golden Fleece: the embroidered chasuble

The past three weeks, we have been looking at the embroidered vestments of the Order of the Golden Fleece. Last week, we studied the three magnificent copes, and the week before, we looked at the two antependia. This week, we will examine my favourite piece: the chasuble. Taking pictures of the piece is a little tricky. It is positioned opposite the copes in the Imperial Treasury in Vienna. The lighting levels are lower here, and Read more

By Dr Jessica Grimm, ago
Order of the Golden Fleece - Mary Cope, Imperial Treasury Vienna, Inv. Nr. KK 21.

Order of the Golden Fleece: the embroidered copes

Two weeks ago, I introduced you to the embroidered vestments of the Order of the Golden Fleece. Last week, we studied the iconography and the embroidery techniques on the two antependia. This week, we will have a look at the three copes that the priest, the deacon and the subdeacon would have worn. Each cope measures a staggering 3.30 m at its widest part and 1.64 m at its maximum height. This surface is covered Read more

By Dr Jessica Grimm, ago
Order of the Golden Fleece - embroidered antependia

Order of the Golden Fleece: the antependia

Last week, I introduced you to the literature available on the vestments of the Order of the Golden Fleece. This week, we will have a look at what is believed to be the oldest part of the collection: the antependia. The Imperial Treasury in Vienna houses the part that covered the front of the altar (frontal Inv. Nr. KK 17) and the part that covered its back (retrofrontal Inv. Nr. KK 18). Each piece measures Read more

By Dr Jessica Grimm, ago
Order of the Golden Fleece - Detail of prophet Joel on the antependium

Order of the Golden Fleece: the embroidered vestments

In the coming weeks, we will explore the magnificent embroidered vestments of the Order of the Golden Fleece. These vestments are kept in Vienna, Austria, at the Weltliche Schatzkammer of the Kunsthistorisches Museum, also known as the Imperial Treasury. If there were such a thing as the UNESCO World Heritage list of embroideries, these vestments would be in the top ten. Astonishingly, the embroidered vestments of the Order of the Golden Fleece have never been Read more

By Dr Jessica Grimm, ago
Embroidery Tutorial - Turning a Corner

Medieval Embroidery Tutorial: Turning a Corner

Several of my tutorials have shown you how to recreate a fancy padded orphrey panel frame. They are easy to do on a straight bit of border. But what happens when you need to turn a corner? The beautiful stumpwork chasuble atMerseburg Cathedral shows how medieval embroiderers managed this tricky part. They fudged it! Any real surprises there? No. Fudging was king withmedieval embroiderers. And indeed still is with professional embroiderers the world over. You Read more

By Dr Jessica Grimm, ago
Stumpwork - detail Cope hood Dommuseum Wien, L/47, AD 1518.

Stumpwork: a cope hood from the Vienna Cathedral Teasury

After looking at a stumpwork chasuble from Merseburg and another stumpwork chasuble from Vienna, it is now time to explore a very special piece of stumpwork embroidery. The Dommuseum Wien has a magnificent cope hood from the Cathedral Treasury on permanent display. Thanks to the cathedral accounts, the piece can be precisely dated to the year AD 1518. Unfortunately, the accounts do not mention the name of the “Seydnatter” (silk embroiderer) who made this splendid Read more

By Dr Jessica Grimm, ago
Stumpwork - Chasuble Dommuseum Wien, detail with St Paul

Stumpwork: a chasuble from the Dommuseum Vienna, Austria

Last week, we looked at a beautiful stumpwork chasuble kept at Merseburg Cathedral. This week, we will continue our exploration of late medieval stumpwork embroidery with a stunning chasuble kept at the Dommuseum in Vienna, Austria. As I haven’t been able to find published material for this chasuble, I don’t know how it ended up in the collection of the museum. What I do know is that it was not part of the Cathedral treasury Read more

By Dr Jessica Grimm, ago

Stumpwork: a chasuble from Merseburg Cathedral

This month, we will be exploring medieval stumpwork. But before we start: happy birthday to me! I just celebrated my 47th birthday in style at my local bakery with a piece of King Ludwig Cake (royal chocolate cake). We are in Bavaria after all :). And now, on to the medieval stumpwork. We’ll kick off the series with a beautiful chasuble from the treasury of Merseburg Cathedral in Germany. The lighting levels in this part Read more

By Dr Jessica Grimm, ago