Splendid pictorial documentation, carefully researched, of royal apparel, ecclesiastical dress and vestments, academic and legal garments, and civilian dress of all classes.
A comprehensive study of dress in Northern Europe from the early fourteenth century to the beginning of the Renaissance,Illuminating Fashion is the first thorough study of the history of fashion in this period based solely on firmly dated or datable works of art. It draws on illuminated manuscripts, early printed books, tapestries, paintings, and sculpture from museums and libraries around the world. "Symbolism and metaphors are buried in the art of fashion," says Roger Wieck, the editor ofIlluminating Fashion. Examining the role of social customs and politics in influencing dress, at a time of rapid change in fashion, this fully illustrated volume demonstrates the richness of such symbolism in medieval art and how artists used clothing and costume to help viewers interpret an image. At the heart of the work isA Pictorial History of Fashion, 1325 to 1515, an album of over 300 illustrations with commentary. This is followed by a comprehensive glossary of medieval English and French clothing terms and an extensive list of dated and datable works of art. Not only can this fully illustrated volume be used as guide to a fuller understanding of the works of art, it can also help date an undated work; reveal the shape and structure of actual garments; and open up a picture's iconographic and social content. It is invaluable for costume designers, students and scholars of the history of dress and history of art, as well as those who need to date works of art.
"[The authors] provide a visual snap shot of the courtly elegance and common wear the [medieval] period. Filled with hundreds of sketches taken from original sources, mechanical drawings, and detailed 'layer drawings' demonstrating how the clothing was worn, this entrée both introduces the period and helps newcomers find their way forward in the study of primary and secondary sources."--Back cover.
Scraps of clothing and other textiles are among the most evocative items to be discovered by archaeologists, signalling as they do their owner's status and concerns.
Splendid . . . the major overview of Anglo-Saxon clothing and textile from the 5th to 11th centuries. . . . Owen-Crocker has become the authority reconstructors call upon. . . . A wise and scholarly book. TOEBI Newsletter Based on the revised and expanded edition of 2004, this paperback is an encyclopaedic study of English dress from the fifth to the eleventh centuries, drawing evidence from archaeology, text and art (manuscripts, ivories, metalwork, stone sculpture, mosaics), and also from re-enactors' experience. It examines archaeological textiles, cloth production and the significance of imported cloth and foreign fashions. Dress is discussed as a marker of gender, ethnicity, status and social role - in the context of a pagan burial, dress for holy orders, bequests of clothing, commissioning a kingly wardrobe, and much else - and surviving dress fasteners and accessories are examined with regardto type and to geographical/chronological distribution. There are colour reconstructions of early Anglo-Saxon dress and a cutting pattern for a gown from the Bayeux tapestry; Old English garment names are discussed, and there isa glossary of costume and other relevant terms. GALE OWEN-CROCKER is Professor of Anglo-Saxon Culture at the University of Manchester. She has a special interest in dress throughout the medieval period - she advises ondress entries to the Toronto Old English Dictionary and has consulted for many museums and television companies. She is co-editor of the journal Medieval Clothing and Textiles.
The best new research on medieval clothing and textiles, drawing from a range of disciplines. Topics in this volume range widely throughout the European middle ages. Three contributions concern terminology for dress. Two deal with multicultural medieval Apulia: an examination of clothing terms in surviving marriage contracts from the tenth to the fourteenth century, and a close focus on an illuminated document made for a prestigious wedding. Turning to Scandinavia, there is an analysis of clothing materials from Norway and Sweden according to gender and social distribution. Further papers consider the economic uses of cloth and clothing: wool production and the dress of the Cistercian community at Beaulieu Abbey based on its 1269-1270 account book, and the use of clothing as pledge or payment in medieval Ireland. In addition, there is a consideration of the history of dagged clothing and its negative significance to moralists, and of the painted hangings that were common in homes of all classes in the sixteenth century. ROBIN NETHERTON is a professional editor and a researcher/lecturer on the interpretation of medieval European dress; GALE R. OWEN-CROCKER is Emerita Professor of Anglo-Saxon Culture at the University of Manchester. Contributors: Antonietta Amati, Eva I. Andersson, John Block Friedman, Susan James, John Oldland, Lucia Sinisi, Mark Zumbuhl
Precisely rendered to dazzle the eye with their botanical accuracy, the sumptuous arrays of fruit and flowers by Dutch painter Jan van Huysum (1682-1749) were among the most avidly collected paintings of the 18th century. This little book explores two of Van Huysum's most important still-life paintings, Vase of Flowers and Fruit Piece.
Monumental study of English fashions from 1485 through 1603 surveys clothing worn by all classes and includes headgear, hairstyles, jewelry, collars, footwear, and other accessories. 1,000 black-and-white figures. 24 halftones. 22 color plates.