The main feature that drew me in is the interesting fashion of a-symmetric embellishment and sleeve ornament. I had to try it! However, rather than being an exact copy of one gown, I chose to play with a few design elements to create a hybrid gown that looks effective and is practical for events. (Pretty, but not uncomfortable)
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| Completed June 2016 |
References:
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| Portrait of Jakob Fugger and Sybille Artzt (detail) Hans Burgkmair 1498 London, The Schroder Collection |
The neckline is also very interesting. The shape is unique, not running straight, but appearing to dip down in the front with no visible closure system to keep the neckline together above the bust line. The guard does not seem to come to below the bust, but rather mid-bust, with the pleats also extending to this point.
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| Portrait of Urslua Grekin Ulm Master 1500 |
The flow of the design and the coverage the deign takes on the sleeve is very attractive. Both portraits of Ursula Grekin (1500) and the aforementioned portrait of Sybille Artzt (1498) have designs that contain a central scroll motif encircling flowers and/or oak leaves. It is not entirely clear how these have been applied. The Artzt example seems to be gold edged and overlaid with pearls whereas the Grekin sleeve's scroll is red in colour and edged in pearls. This would indicate to me that the red could have been an applied piece or embroidered. Both examples use the pearls to indicate the edges of the scroll and enhance its shape and 3-dimensional quality. Interestingly on both examples the artist has painted the scrolls on the sleeve with 3-dimensional shading. This could support this being embroidered (adding a gradient of colour in the embroidery) or applied embroidered shading over an appliqued piece.
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| Detail from the Babenburg Family Tree tryptich Hans Part 1489-1492 Klosterneuburg Monastery |
This portrait helped confirm a couple of accessory quandaries also. Although the neckline is slightly different, this example shows a visible chemise line where the others do not. I am partial to this look. Both the Babenburg and Grekin examples are worn with thin belts, approximately 1 in thick.
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| Unknown Portrait |
Details and Construction:
For the body pattern itself, I modified my 15th c. Flemish kirtle blank, adding material to the two front panels for pleating, as the portraits feature a close fitted bodice with similar lines to the Flemish style. From what is visible in the reference images, it was sensible to construct the gown with no waist seam, adding gores to the skirt to achieve fullness in the skirt. The outer layer is a medium weight black wool to achieve a good weight and no sheen.
I cut the guards on the bias, which was very effective for the skirts, but I did have a small amount of visible pulling on the bodice guards that I'm a little unhappy with. I tried using the lacing to create a similar neckline shape to the Artzt gown, where it comes down and in below the collar bone, then distinctly dips and meets mid-bust. I thought the top lacing point would create the 'points' at the top of the dip, but instead just pulls the neckline. Oh well. Food for thought. In future I will cut the desired shape into the neckline.
In regards to the design on the sleeve, I appropriated design elements from a few of the above sources and tweaked them to be cheekily representative of SCAdian symbolism. (incorporating roses and the white belt.) I appliqued the white belt and roses, then embroidered detail and couched gold cord around the edges to give them definition. I lined the edges of the roses in small potato pearls and built the stems with round pearls. All of the above examples with embellishment seem to have floral/plant motifs whose stems are defined in pearls. Further, in the Grekin portrait there is a texture visible in the oak leaves themselves that seem to either indicate that the leaves were formed with either grouping pearls or gold beads (hard to tell because of the warm/yellow overtone of the portrait) or perhaps they were formed with textured gold work? Either way I did not have the time for excessive beading in this project and so chose to applique the rose heads themselves and played with gold work on the rose leaves. I experimented with a clean, flat couched gold look on some leaves and couched twisted strands in small groups on others. These two techniques gave slightly different looks as they caught the light slightly differently, although if there had been more time to complete the project I would have liked to just use the cleaner technique and neaten up some of the leaves. For the belt ends, I used a thicker gold and couched a single strand, giving yet another different texture to the piece.
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| Side view |
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| Back view |
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| Front view |
Lessons Learned and Thoughts:
Now that it's done I'm pleased with the result, but as always there are places to improve. The fit of the body is good and it is definitely comfortable. Plus I could finally do my dishes without worrying about wetting my cuffs or trying to roll up a skin tight sleeve! I am not entirely happy with the fit of the sleeves. They could have been a little tighter.
In future I will have to play with the pleating method for the front panel. I wanted the pleats set so they wouldn't shift and so I box pleated the two front panels (as the Artzt portrait does not appear to have stepped pleats, but rather even pleats of matching height) and tacked in the pleats. There are visible puckers left from setting in the pleats that are not seen in the portrait, so I wonder how I can achieve a smoother look through the pleating. Also, hooks and eyes have been used to close the bodice below the laces, but it is remarkably difficult to secure the top-most hook as it sits directly under the bust. So perhaps a bit more space in the bodice would help with this, although I really like the close fit, so maybe I could try a different top closure next time.
Another note for future, I should leave a bit more space in between my pearls so they will keep on line smoother. The tight placement of the pearls has made them bunch and has distorted the desired lines.
Thanks:
I had a lot of help getting this project complete in time to wear it to me divestiture as landed Baroness. Special thank you to Mistress Ursula von Memmingen for supplying spangles and chatting me through the project. Thank you and lots of love to Lady Foinnabhair inghean ui Mheadhra for making me an absolutely stunning chemise! Thank you, thank you, thank you to Baroness Linet of Falcon's Rest and Lady Sorcha le Breton for sitting with me and hemming for hours!! I literally put the last spangles on the morning of the event, so I am very grateful for the assistance I received.
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