beadwork-msg - 9/6/09 Medieval beadwork on clothing. Bead types. Bead sources. NOTE: See also the files: beads-msg, clothing-msg, sewing-msg, glasswork-msg. ************************************************************************ NOTICE - This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday. This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter. The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors. Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s). Thank you, Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous Stefan at florilegium.org ************************************************************************ From: hrjones at uclink.berkeley.edu (Heather Rose Jones) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: lace and beads Date: 28 Jul 1994 21:01:22 GMT Organization: University of California, Berkeley DDuperault (dduperault at aol.com) wrote: : What about beadwork? I suspect beading is a victorian invention. : Anybody got any hard evidence to the contrary? I'm doing a small research project on the subject currently, expect to see the full results, perhaps in a Compleat Anachronist, any year now .... Certain types of beadwork were used in period, both for household items and to decorate clothing. Some random examples: "Beadwork" (Shire Publications #57) by Pamela Claburn shows on p.4 some 12th century German beaded panels used to decorate church vestments. The designs have a familial similarity to those used at the same time for Opus Anglicanum embroidery; the beads are sewn to a parchment backing in rows that follow the lines of the design, similarly to how rows of split-stitch do in embroidery. A much larger example of this same technique (also German) can be found in "The Art of Embroidery" by Marie Schuette and Sigrid Mueller-Christensen (London: Thames & Hudson, 1964) in plate VIII. Here again the beads are sewn onto a parchment backing in lines following the designs, the whole then being sewn onto fabric (in this case, an altar frontal). This and similar embroidery books will show numerous examples of seed pearls being used to outline embroidery designs on cloaks and other garments. A set of vestments from the Holy Roman Empire dating to the 12th and early 13th centuries (figures 65-71 in the above book) show the following: A dalmatic cuff with a stylized floral motif outlined in seed pearls and filled in with minute gold "bugle-beads", sewn down with a couching technique. (The beads are about the same size as those in "liquid-silver" necklaces.) Cuffs on an alb with seed pearls picking out a strapwork pattern. (The design also incorporates gemstones in both bezel and pronged settings.) A pair of gloves with seed pearls used both to outline applied gemstones and enamelled plaques and sewn randomly over the remaining area. I've found refernces to 15th century French goldsmiths regulations that forbid combining glass beads and semi-precious stones with pearls and precious stones on the same garment -- a fairly good argument for the use of the former. Medieval beadwork is fascinating, but it's very different from modern styles and techniques. Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn From: rich at birch.ims.disa.mil (Rich Bjorklund) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: lace and beads Date: 29 Jul 1994 16:25:00 GMT Organization: Computer Sciences Corp. dduperault at aol.com (DDuperault) says: > I know lace is "late" period. Anyone know when and where (and on >what) lace was first used in europe? > What about beadwork? I suspect beading is a victorian invention. >Anybody got any hard evidence to the contrary? > > Avwye The period export of fresh-water pearls from Scotland to France would argue otherwise. I also believe any of Janet Arnold's books on Elizabethan clothing would show the use of beading in period. Elizabeth I _was_ pre-Victorian last time I checked. ;-) -Rich "Bjorn" Bjorklund Stovik, Atlantia / Bowie, MD. From: BROWNTR.ntrprs at navair.navy.MIL (BROWNTR) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Beading in Period Date: 1 Aug 1994 09:54:30 -0400 dduperault at aol.com (DDuperault) says: > I know lace is "late" period. Anyone know when and where (and on >what) lace was first used in europe? > What about beadwork? I suspect beading is a victorian invention. >Anybody got any hard evidence to the contrary? > > Avwye If by beading, you mean pictorial embroidery using small glass beads (as opposed to pearls and semi-precious stones), it is most certainly period. My apprentice Lady Elspeth will be giving a class at Pennsic on "13th Century Beadwork from Saxony," and will show photos of extant examples. Pearls (fresh and salt-water) and semi-precious stones were also used both to form pictures and as embellishment. The case for beadwork *weaving* in the SCA period is on much shakier ground, as is the use of iridescent beads to embroider cute li'l dragons and pudgy unicorns. Bjorn didn't mention it (Hi BJ!) but his wife Lady Therasa is downright scary with pearls and beads! (How many *thousands* of stones did she put on that black gown?!) -- Auntie Signy home: AuntieS at aol.com ofc: BROWNTR.NTRPRS at NAVAIR.NAVY.MIL From: habura at vccnw01.its.rpi.edu (Andrea Marie Habura) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: lace and beads Date: 28 Jul 1994 16:06:17 GMT Organization: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY Avwye asks whether anyone has evidence for beading in Period. You bet your buttons I do! Much depends, of course, on the time period you're targeting. I'll discuss my area of expertise, which is England and France, 13th and 14th centuries. Pearls: A biggie. You understand, a lot of 14th c. high-fashion clothing was heavily embroidered, and the job definition of "embroiderer" was basically "person who sews ornament onto fabric". Large pearls were incorporated into designs, frequently as something like the acorns of embroidered oaks. (Blanche of Castile had an embroidered hat with pictures of children beating down pearl acorns from trees, with gold boars eating the acorns.) Smaller pearls were used for outlining large motifs, and also were sewn down over loose-stitched white silk grounds to make things like griffins and estoiles. If you plan to do this, use pearls with a maximum size of about 2.5 mm; I did an estoile with pearls this size, and at 2" in height, it's just barely authentic-looking. Many of the surviving examples show pearls the size of seed-beads. (In fact, I'm resorting to glass pearlized seed-beads for this application, because I can only find artificial "pearls" is sizes >2 mm.) Other beads, gems, and findings: If you consider sewing metal ornaments to fabric "beading", boy, are you in luck! Not only are they period, in an astounding variety of shapes (I can document mussel shells, acorns, stars, circular plates with portraits on them, leaves, and so on), they're also available in fine craft stores everywhere. They're pricey, though; the cheapest I've gotten them is 20 cents each--and they should be used to cover an entire garment. Glass discs were sometimes used for the eyes of beasts. Enameled ornaments were used as decoration too, sometimes set off by gold embroidery. (Philippa of Hainault had a "ghita" of this type.) OK, I'll stop here---this could become a five-page post if I let myself go. However, if you want to discuss this further, email me, or stop by my class at Pennsic. Alison MacDermot *Ex Ungue Leonem* From: 0003900943 at mcimail.COM (Marla Lecin) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: [GARB] Beaded mottos on sleeves? Date: 11 Dec 1994 10:36:17 -0500 Organization: The Internet Greetings, from Jessa d' Avondale! Several years ago, some good lady posted a query for information on the appearance of beaded mottoes on the cuffs of Italian Ren sleeves. No reply was ever posted on the Rialto, but I, too, would be interested in this information. The specific portrait which she referred to was " Lady at a Window", by Fra Filippo Lippi (circa 1450). (This is my favorite Ren portrait of all, and I particularly enjoy visiting with "her" in the Met in NYC!) I do not have the original message handy, but is the poster still around, or does anyone else have information on this particular practice? Many thanks, Jessa mlecin at mcicmail.com From: Sharon Saroff Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: info on jewelry,beadw Date: Mon, 13 Mar 1995 17:39:50 -0500 Organization: ErieNet To all who wish a copy of my beadwork resource list: The list is available for copy cost (about 60 cents) and a SASE (be sure to send an 8 1/2 by 11 manila envelope). At present there are about 200 references on the list and growing. (I have to update it again because I found some more resources) Send to address below if you want the list. If you wish resources for specific information, I will be more than happy to provide those specific titles. Just e-mail me a message at Sindara at moose.erie.net. I read my mail daily. Send all postal snail correspondences to: Sharon R. Saroff 239 Scott Street, 1st floor Erie, PA. 16508 In Service of the Dream, Sindara From: habura at vccnw04.its.rpi.edu (Andrea Marie Habura) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: needle punch embroidery Date: 20 Jul 1995 13:48:54 GMT Organization: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute For Elizabeth: I may be about to make you a happy person. If you don't mind using tiny pearls instead of seed beads, there's a considerable amount of documentation for designs made from beads on clothing. Probably the most accessible piece is the "Chichester" or "Butler-Bowden" cope, a 14th c. English work. There's a color photo of it in Staniland's _Medieval Craftsmen: The Embroiderers_, but there's a better black-and- white closeup in Christie's _English Medieval Embroidery_. (I can get exact page cites if you need them, but my notes are at home, and I'm not.) The basic technique is to lay down the shape you want with white silk thread, and then cover the entire design with seed pearls. Some other English pieces of the same era show evidence of having been worked in this way, in that the white embroidery is still there, as are the threads left when the pearls were snipped off. I have one piece of visual evidence for the use of this kind of embroidery on secular clothing from the 14th c., and a few that are later. The painting _St. Ursula and her Virgins_ (don't recall the artist; I'll find it for you if you want) shows one of the virgins wearing a purple cotehardie, the torso of which is covered with phoenixes. Having examined a plate of the painting closely, I believe that the phoenixes are worked in pearls and red (silk?) embroidery. One piece of 16th c. evidence is a portrait of a German count, who is wearing a doublet embroidered with pearl crescent moons. There's also some evidence from inventories. Mary Stella Newton (in her _Fashion in the Age of the Black Prince_) quotes a number of Great Wardrobe inventories that list pearl-embroidered items, usually hats or hoods but sometimes mantles as well. For example the Dauphin of France had a hat worked with pearl leopards holding lozenges with his arms. I apologize for the half-citations of my sources; unfortunately, I'm working from memory here. Drop me a line if you'd like proper documentation. Hope this helps... Alison MacDermot *Ex Ungue Leonem* From: sindara at pobox.com (Sharon R. Saroff) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Byzantine beadwork--??? Date: Thu, 02 May 1996 13:00:31 GMT >-- [ From: Patricia M. Hefner * EMC.Ver #2.10P ] -- > >OK, I know Byzantine garb has tons of beadwork on it. For those of you >who do Byzantine garb, what are your favorite beads to sew onto it? I >know they used alot of pearls. What else? ---Isabelle (still greedily >eyeing those bead containers) I have seen glass beads, gold and silver. Certain semi-precious stone were quite period. Blue was a popular color of bead. Sindara From: hrjones at uclink.berkeley.edu (Heather Rose Jones) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Early period Bead Work?!?!? Date: 18 Jul 1996 02:28:20 GMT Organization: University of California, Berkeley Gordon Bulmer (bulmerg at sos.pwgsc.gc.ca) wrote: : Good Gentles, I know that the use of embroidery, and bead work goes back : along way, but most of the examples I have been able to lay my hands on are : from later period then I am looking for. Does anyone have documentation of : early period use of bead work on garments (around 1150 would be good). : I was commissioned some time ago to work a friends coat of arms on the chest : of a wool over tunic, with floss, pearls and these wonderfull gold beads that : look just like amber. The tunic turned out wonderful and now I would like : to show it off a little but have no concrete documentation for such a : treatment. Talk about getting the cart in front of the horse . Whether the examples I can provide would be applicable to the project at hand depends entirely on what you did with that floss, pearls, and beads. For the 12th century, the best exemplars for decoration of combined embroidery and pearls/beads are the coronation garments associated with the Holy Roman Emperors. The piece that most often turns up in history of costume books is a half-circular cloak with a pattern of tigers attacking camels done in couched gold thread with outlines of double rows of pearls. Another piece has cuffs with a palmetto design of miniscule couched gold tubular beads, again with the pattern outlined with pearls. Another garment has cuffs with interlace designs done in pearls and couched gold, with cabochon gems in metal settings between the bands of interlace. The cloak is probably the best example of a pictorial design. Whether or not these pieces can be used to justify your project will depend to a very large extent on what sort of embroidery you used and how the stones were used in the design. Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn From: Wayne Anderson Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Byzantine beadwork--??? Date: 9 May 1996 21:24:16 GMT From my studies of later period Russian costuming, which descended from Byzantine, it seems that mother of pearl chips were often used. These give a more textured appearance than pearls. These and other semi-precious stones such as amythest, malachite, tiger eye, onyx, garnet, etc., are available from many suppliers and, while not dirt-cheap, are certainly affordable for a special costume. If you want to use glass or plastic beads andlarger, sew-on jewels, avoid the faceted ones and stick to round beads and cabochon jewels. I would sew beads on a test swatch and wash or dry clean the sample to make sure your beads can take it before making the garb. Omargo (Maudelyn of Bryn Aur (that's right, I'm back!)) From: ddfr at best.com (David Friedman) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Byzantine beadwork--??? Date: 10 May 1996 01:21:12 GMT Wayne Anderson wrote: >These and other >semi-precious stones such as amythest, malachite, tiger eye, onyx, garnet, >etc., are available from many suppliers and, while not dirt-cheap, are >certainly affordable for a special costume. Of these, tiger eye is probably out of period. Amethyst seems to have been considerably more expensive relative to other stones in period than it is now, so you might want to use it if you are trying to look rich, not if you are trying not to. David/Cariadoc -- ddfr at best.com From: Wulf & Teddi Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Byzantine beadwork--??? Date: 11 May 1996 13:56:17 GMT Organization: Clan Wulfgard Ann Laurel Kopchik wrote: >What sort of beadwork was used on Byzantine garb? I've done some >research, and as far as I can tell, most of the beadwork was on trim. >Where beads used anywhere else on byzantine garb? > >-Anwen > >Ann Kopchik >Ann is amergina+ at cmu.edu - http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~amergina Greetings, To the best of my knowledge there are monastary records of the time stating that the nobility had garments so heavily laden with gems and beads that it was impossible for them to stand and move about without assistance. Now we have to remember that most monks felt oppressed by some of the nobility and have a long history of possible slandering of some nobles,(some accounts of Theodora's life for example), but in general we should be able to assume that if even 10% was true that was a lot of beading. "Too much is never enough." Thats why I love them so!!!! Lady Theodora Quennell From: excmairi at aol.com (EXCMairi) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Byzantine beadwork--??? Date: 14 May 1996 14:48:27 -0400 Check out the Medieval Craftsmen series (I don't have the other info. on me at the moment...) - the one on embroidery/embroiderers. There is a photo of byzantine dalmatica cuffs (later period byz.) - that is covered in a vine-scroll pattern done in gold bugle beads (the long, thin ones). Cool! Newsgroups: rec.org.sca From: shafer at ferhino.dfrc.nasa.gov (Mary Shafer) Subject: Re: Byzantine beadwork--??? Organization: NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards CA Date: Tue, 14 May 1996 19:01:11 GMT On 10 May 1996 01:21:12 GMT, ddfr at best.com (David Friedman) said: C> Of these, tiger eye is probably out of period. Amethyst seems to C> have been considerably more expensive relative to other stones in C> period than it is now, so you might want to use it if you are C> trying to look rich, not if you are trying not to. Amethyst was extremely rare until it was found in Brazil in vast quantities. This, of course, drove the price down tremendously. As a result, it went from being a precious gem to being semi-precious, but this change was post-Period. -- Mary Shafer NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, CA SR-71 Flying Qualities Lead Engineer Of course I don't speak for NASA shafer at ferhino.dfrc.nasa.gov DoD #362 KotFR URL http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/People/Shafer/mary.html From: ddfr at best.com (David Friedman) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Byzantine beadwork--??? Date: 15 May 1996 05:11:28 GMT I wrote: > C> Of these, tiger eye is probably out of period. Amethyst seems to > C> have been considerably more expensive relative to other stones in > C> period than it is now, so you might want to use it if you are > C> trying to look rich, not if you are trying not to. Mary Shafer wrote: > Amethyst was extremely rare until it was found in Brazil in vast > quantities. This, of course, drove the price down tremendously. > As a result, it went from being a precious gem to being semi-precious, > but this change was post-Period. 1. I do not believe Amethyst appears in the lists of precious stones in period (i.e. where people are distinguishing precious from other). I am pretty sure that Cellini's list is like ours--diamond, emerald, ruby, sapphire. 2. While I am not certain, I think the original price drop was due to discoveries in Russia, with Brazil later. David/Cariadoc From: parkerd at mcmail.cis.McMaster.CA (Diana Parker) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Byzantine beadwork--??? Date: 15 May 1996 14:18:13 -0400 Organization: McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. David Friedman wrote: >Mary Shafer wrote: >> Amethyst was extremely rare until it was found in Brazil in vast >> quantities. This, of course, drove the price down tremendously. >> As a result, it went from being a precious gem to being semi-precious, >> but this change was post-Period. >2. While I am not certain, I think the original price drop was due to >discoveries in Russia, with Brazil later. From Guide to Gems and Precious Stones (Cipriani&Borelli, 0-671-60430-9) "OCCURRENCE: The finest amethyests come (in great quantities) from Brazil and neighbouring Uraguay, from the the United States, Madagascar, and the Soviet Union, Indian, Australia, South Africa, and many other countries." "VALUE: A few centuries ago, deep-colored amethyst was highly prized. Its value fell greatly with the discovery of the large Brazilian and Uruguayan deposits at the end of the nineteenth century. Now relegated to the status of a secondary gem, its value is quite low." From the same reference, " The violet, purple to almost pink variety of quartz is called amethyst, an ancient name derived from the Greek "Amethystos", meaning "not drunken," as it was believed to protect those who wore it from drunkeness. It is the most highly prized variety of quartz." cheers Tabitha -- Diana Parker parkerd at mcmaster.ca (905) 525-9140 (x24282) CUC - 201 Security Services McMaster University From: sindara at pobox.com (Sharon R. Saroff) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Byzantine beadwork--??? Date: Wed, 15 May 1996 21:27:46 GMT I read a description of a Russian embroidery stitch called Placing which is very strong. It is a second cousin of Couching, but instead of putting a plain stitch between each bead you place a knot. Though it takes practice to do this stitich, once mastered those beads aren't going anywhere. SIndara From: sindara at pobox.com (Sharon R. Saroff) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Byzantine beadwork--??? Date: Wed, 15 May 1996 21:56:20 GMT I find it hard that Amethyst was so rare during our time period. I have been researching the folklore of gems for the last four years and have seen numerous reference to the amethyst for curing or dealing with various ailments. Also I have found mention of Cat's Eye in period under the name of crysoberyl. It is a very prominent stone to the Hindu's and other peoples who dwell in that part of the world. Sindara From: sindara at pobox.com (Sharon R. Saroff) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Byzantine beadwork--??? Date: Wed, 15 May 1996 21:56:22 GMT Another heavily used type of bead was made of fresh water pearl which was very abundant in the various rivers and streams. I have seen Dalmatica cuffs with seed pearls in knotwork, vinework, and flower patterns. There is a great book called A Pictorial History of Embroidery that has a lot of pictures of period bead embroidery. Sindara From: Sadira bint Raya al-Asiri Newsgroups: rec.org.sca, Subject: Beadwork on Middle Eastern Garb Date: Wed, 08 May 96 17:34:57 PDT Organization: Avana Communications Corp. I didn't see my last post on the subject, so I guess it got lost in cyberspace. Here it is again, for those who care, and don't: =========================================================================== I have just made a major documentation run on the local university (looking for embroidery, primarily but also beads and beadwork). A few tidbits: --Oldest extant embroidery (satin and stem stitch) is on a funerary shirt for King Tutankhamen, dated roughly 1400 BC --Maghrebi style of embroidery first used 600-700 AD in Arabia and North Africa (Morocco)--largely geometric patterns, highly elaborate,designs similar to S. Italian and Balkan motifs, Indistinguishable from Aegean (Naxos), Palestinian designs; used stem stitch, thick cross stitch, satin stitch, split satin, chain --Predominant color red, predominant ground color indigo, black, dark green, ground cloth linen or cotton, embroidery material silk and metal, rarely cotton --What was embroidered: anything that stood still and that people might see--pants, coats, shirts, hankies, turban covers, shoes, scabbards, quivers, saddles, animal hangings, tents, bags, etc. --Where was it embroidered: anywhere people might see it--you don't embroider what will be covered by something else (except for thawbs) --Designs: If it is on an oriental carpet, it is fair game for embroidery--the motifs and patterns were used for both and were often village or tribal property and now.... BEADS!! SEED BEADS ARE PERIOD!! Very small beads were first produced in Pharaonic Egypt, but glass beads of 1-3 mm size were being produced in Arabia from 700 to 1400 AD, when the Mongols invaded, and glass beadmaking moved to Venice, which became famous for seed beads about 100 years later. Now I have to document putting the damn things on clothes--altho I found PRIMARY DOCUMENTATION of a complete set of Turkish woman's clothes which was elaborately beaded--1545, Topkapi Saray museum. Sources: Harris, Textiles, 5000 years Taylor, Ottoman Embroidery Dubin, The History of Beads Trilling, Aegean Crossroads ============================================================================== If I'm repeating myself, sorry. If you'd like an outline of ME embroidery and a bibliography, let me know and I will e-mail it. In service to the Furtherment of Things Middle Eastern, Sayyida Sadira bint Raya al-Asiri Date: Mon, 05 May 1997 19:36:34 EDT From: tourdion at juno.com To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu Subject: Beadwork > What are you meaning exactly by "beading"? They certainly did >sew beads on clothing, especially in late period, and they did wear >necklaces of glass beads durring early period--especially the Norse. But >oddly enough, although the Italians in particular made a lot of wonderful >glass beads, they *don't* seem to have worn them! They were made for trading >and seem to have been reguarded as tacky, primative things.... Silly people! Ah, beadwork! One of my favorite subjects! I have found some splendiferous pictures of 13th century Saxony beadwork done on parchment and appliqued onto fabric used in church vestments. My first find came from one of those Shire booklets on beadwork. It pertains mostly to Victorian era stuff, but there is a marvelous strip of beadwork that consists of saint figures. There are also more examples in a book called Glasperlen by Edith Holm. As you can guess by the title, it's in German but don't let that intimidate you. My German consists of everything I learned from watching Hogan's Heroes and I still got a lot out of the book. Hope this is useful. Elspeth nic Cormac Meridies Date: Wed, 4 Jun 97 19:57:48 -0500 From: Irene leNoir To: "sca-arts" Subject: Re: Looking for documention on period seed beads Others have already pointed out citations for seed beads being period. To the best of my knowledge, loomed beadwork is not period for Mediaeval Europe. I do, however, have documentation for "peyote" style beadwork (also occasionally known as twill beadwork) if you are interested. ________________________________ Jessica I. Clark SCA: Baroness Ir=E8ne leNoir jessica at ici.net or irene at ici.net Date: Mon, 18 Aug 1997 11:27:10 -0400 (EDT) From: Varju at aol.com To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu Subject: Re: Beads There are a number of books on the history of beads that I been told are excellent. The only one i can remember off hand at this point is: _Bead Embroidery_ by Joan Edwards I have not read this book but I have heard it is very good. Noemi varj at aol.com From: Rebekah & Chip Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: period jewel fastening Date: Thu, 10 Jul 1997 22:55:56 -0700 Organization: University of California at San Diego Isabelle de Foix queried: > Does anybody know how they fastened all of those jewels on late period > court garb? I once read that somebody was always following Queen > Elizabeth I, picking up the jewels that fell off of her dress. Was the > same method used throughout Western Europe or were different techniques > employed? I *don't* think they sewed those things on! The pearls on (at least late) Byzantine court (14th/15th century) attire were, in fact, sewn on. There are some beautiful close up color plates of this work in a book called: Byzantine Art in the Collections of Soviet Museums Alisa V. Bank Leningrad: Aurora 1977 The pearls are drilled, the hole is parallel to the cloth. The only stones I've seen appear to have been set in gold which wraps up from the bottom forming a lip around the bottom of the stone. These photographs were not close enough for good detail, however, so I can only call this speculation. Bardas Xiphias, Calafia, Caid Chip, rinman at ucsd.edu From: tjustus at sprynet.com (T Justus) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: period jewel fastening Date: Wed, 16 Jul 1997 07:09:20 GMT >Does anybody know how they fastened all of those jewels on late period >court garb? I once read that somebody was always following Queen >Elizabeth I, picking up the jewels that fell off of her dress. Was the >same method used throughout Western Europe or were different techniques >employed? I *don't* think they sewed those things on! The short answer: Yes, the jewels were sewn on. The longer answer: According to Janet Arnold, in an essay 'Sweet England's Jewels' in _Princely Magnificence: Court Jewels of the Rennaissance, 1500-1630_ ( ed. Anna Somers Cocks, Debrett's Peerage Ltd., 1980) small jewels were sewn onto the garment. Single jewels were pinned on (with a separate straight pin). Because pins could work loose and jewels be lost as added security a ribbon would be tied over the pin (seen toward the end of the 16th c). Brooches were jewels with integral pins on the back. Jewels were often removed from one garment and sewn on a new one, sometimes in combination with other jewels. Occasionally a girdle (belt of linked units) was broken up so the jewels could be sewn on individually. Gems were always in a metal setting. The only exception to this rule I've seen are pearls, which could be drilled and sewn on individually. Common designs for a jewel would be a setting 'rose-fashioned' with a central stone surrounded by other stones, petal-wise. A 'cinque' is a central stone surrounded by four stones. (Cinq-- French for five.) Yes, this sort of clothing was labor intensive. Cost of labor and materials was not a concern if one was Queen. Labor was cheap. The cost of the tailor was a small fraction of the cost of the materials. In 1559, the price of fabric for a kirtle for a minor noblewoman ranged from 30 shillings (3 yds black damask) to 3 pounds (3 yds wrought russet velvet) while the labor costs for making a kirtle was 2 to 4 shillings. ('The Clothes of Thomasine Petrie 1555-1559' by Anne Buck, 'Costume' #24, 1990) At the other end of the social scale, for a Welsh servant in the late 16th c the wool for two petticoats cost 3 shillings 6 pence, while the making of the petticoats cost 4 pence. ('Clothing given to a Servant of the Late Sixteenth Century in Wales' by Ilid Anthony, 'Costume' #14, 1980) Jewels were quite expensive. Thomasine Petrie had 15 white enamel gold buttons that cost 1 pound 7 shillings for the materials, and 12 shillings 6 pence for the labor. The most extravagant thing the Welsh maid Elin had was a girdle of silk, which cost 18 shillings. I see no reason to think that jewel attachment methods were any different in any of the other countries of Western Europe in the 16th century. Tracy Justus AKA Clare de Crecy Date: Wed, 22 Oct 1997 22:33:24 -0700 From: Brett and Karen Williams To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu Subject: Re: Shisha Mirrors And for those interested in beads, I happened to stumble across: http://www.mcs.net/~simone/beadfairies.html Which is a HUGE site and has a bead FAQ with lots and lots of source lists for those interested in beads. ;) ciorstan Date: Sat, 31 Jul 1999 19:53:31 -0500 From: Roberta R Comstock To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu Subject: Re: Folkwear Patterns On Sat, 24 Jul 1999 01:49:15 EDT writes: <<< They come with embroidery patterns, but I've never done embroidery aside from a smattering of backstitch. I tried learning chain stitch and that thing drove me nuts for weeks. I'd better learn this stuff or else......could I get away with rocaille beads? That could save me a few headaches. Isabelle >>> Rocaille beads, the seed beeds with the mirror finish inside that makes them glittery, are post period. The silver lining is the same technique used in making modern mirrors. It was not known in the Renaissance. I don't have a reference, but believe it was discovered in the 18th century. Hertha Date: Sun, 1 Aug 1999 21:11:33 -0500 From: Roberta R Comstock To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu Subject: Re: Folkwear Patterns On Sun, 1 Aug 1999 15:58:42 EDT writes: >I'm not talking about the beads with the silvery insides--if I'm not >mistaken, those are bugle beads. "Rocaille" is French for "little rock" and >they're just colored glass beads. They do come in crystal, but they don't >refract that much light because they don't have that silvery inside. >They're plain glass. > >Isabelle In my experience the term rocaille is for the seed beads with mirrored insides. The elongated ones, whether mirrored or plain are bugle beads. Plain glass seed beeds should work fine. I know that there were jet beads in period (Black, carved from a coal-like substance), and lots of little seed pearls, gold and silver beads plus flat gold and silver sequins. One of the merchants at pennsic used to sell these, but I don't remember who. Another option for covering a lot of ground in a hurry is couching with gold braid in swirling curves and vine-like patterns. This goes much faster than either embroidery or beading. It can also be effectively combined with beading, by placing your beads to represent flowers, seeds, berries, or bunches of grapes. Leaves could be addes in applique. Hertha From: Catrin ferch Maelgwn Date: August 4, 2009 12:08:33 PM CDT To: "Kingdom of Ansteorra - SCA, Inc." Subject: Re: [Ansteorra] ISO sources for beadwork on garments You might try this site: http://www.medievalbeads.com/ - lots of good stuff on the lefthand sidebar under "research images." -Catrin ferch Maelgwn On Tue, Aug 4, 2009 at 11:00 AM, Castellana Donea < castellana.donea at yahoo.com> wrote: <<< I am trying to find sources and examples on beaded garments (Western Europe 1200-1500) If anyone has any ideas I would greatly appriciate any help. Lady Castellana Donea >>> From: Monalee R Kendall Date: August 5, 2009 10:12:18 AM CDT To: "Kingdom of Ansteorra - SCA, Inc." Subject: Re: [Ansteorra] ISO sources for beadwork on garments There are also some examples in the embroidery book in the Medieval Craftmen series and in "Fashion in the Age of the Black Prince" book. Genevieve On Tue, Aug 4, 2009 at 11:00 AM, Castellana Donea < castellana.donea at yahoo.com> wrote: <<< I am trying to find sources and examples on beaded garments (Western Europe 1200-1500) If anyone has any ideas I would greatly appriciate any help. Lady Castellana Donea >>> Edited by Mark S. Harris beadwork-msg Page 16 of 16