Clothing the Past: Surviving Garments from Early Medieval to Early Modern Western Europe

An astonishing number of medieval garments survive, more-or-less complete. Here the authors present 100 items, ranging from homely to princely. The book’s wide-ranging introduction discusses the circumstances in which garments have survived to the present; sets and collections; constructional and decorative techniques; iconography; inscriptions on garments; style and fashion. Detailed descriptions and discussions explain technique and ornament, investigate alleged associations with famous people (many of them spurious) and demonstrate, even when there are no known associations, how a garment may reveal its own biography: a story that can include repair, remaking, recycling; burial, resurrection and veneration; accidental loss or deliberate deposition. The authors both have many publications in the field of medieval studies, including previous collaborations on medieval textiles such as Medieval Textiles of the British Isles AD 450-1100: an Annotated Bibliography (2007), the Encyclopedia of Medieval Dress and Textiles of the British Isles (2012) and online bibliographies.

Table of Contents:
Preface List of Illustrations The Authors Note on Measurements General Introduction  Origins of the Study  Scope of the Study  Circumstance of Survival of Complete (or Almost Complete) Garments  Life after Life/Afterlife  Sets and Collections of Garments  Weaves and Other Constructional Techniques; Non-Textile Materials; Embroidered Decoration  Inscriptions  Iconography  Every-day Wear  Style and Fashion  A Final Word 1 Headgear: Hat, Cap, Hood, Mitre  Introduction  1.1 Orkney Hood  1.2 Bocksten Hood  1.3 York Silk Hood or Cap  1.4 Cap of St Birgitta  1.5 Headdress from Dokkum-Berg Sion  1.6 Little Sampford Hat  1.7 Birette of Prince Fernando de la Cerda  1.8 Composite Mitre from Salzburg  1.9 Mitre with the Martyrdoms of St Thomas Becket and St Stephen  1.10 Jewelled Mitre of William of Wykeham 2 Outer Garments: Copes, Cloaks and Mantles  Introduction  2.1 ‘Star Mantle’ of Emperor Henry II  2.2 ‘Coronation Mantle’ of King Stephen of Hungary  2.3 Mantle of King Roger II of Sicily  2.4 Mantle of Philip of Swabia  2.5 Mantle of Emperor Otto IV  2.6 Mantle of Prince Fernando de la Cerda  2.7 Blue Mantle of St Kunigunde  2.8 Syon Cope  2.9 Hildesheim Cope  2.10 Butler-Bowdon Cope 3 The Priestly Outer Garment: Chasuble  Introduction  3.1 Bell Chasuble Attributed to St Willigilis  3.2 Bressanone (Brixen) Chasuble  3.3 Castel Sant’Elia Chasuble as Reliquary  3.4 Clare Chasuble  3.5 Melk Chasuble  3.6 Striped Egyptian Silk Chasuble  3.7 Erpingham Chasuble  3.8 Italian Voided Velvet Chasuble  3.9 Blue Wool Chasuble with Applied Embroidered Cross  3.10 Fiddleback Chasuble from Munich 4 Body Garments of Wool and Linen: Tunic, Shirt, Alb  Introduction  4.1 Bocksten Tunic  4.2 Greenland Gown with Short Sleeves  4.3 Greenland Gown with Buttoned Sleeves  4.4 Cowl of St Francis of Assisi  4.5 Shirt of St Louis  4.6 Alb Attributed to St Thomas Becket  4.7 Alb Attributed to St Bernulph of Utrecht  4.8 Embroidered Alb with Embroidered Apparels in Cologne  4.9 Alb with Embroidered Apparels in Munich  4.10 Lucera Alb with Embroidered Apparels 5 Rich Body Garments: Tunic, Gown, Overgown, Dalmatic and Tunicle  Introduction  5.1 Saya Encordata of Eleanor of Castile, Queen of Aragón  5.2 Pellote of Eleanor of Castile, Queen of Aragón  5.3 Striped Pellote of Don Fernando  5.4 Saya Encordata of Prince Fernando de La Cerda  5.5 ‘Golden Gown’ of Queen Margaret  5.6 Dalmatic of St Ulrich  5.7 Mi-parti Dalmatic  5.8 Göss Dalmatic  5.9 Tunicle of Pere d’Urg  5.10 ‘Eagle Dalmatic’ of the Holy Roman Empire 6 Upper Body and Front Fastening Garments: Undergarment, Padded Garment, Coat-Like Garment  Introduction  6.1 Bodice or Brassiere from Lengberg Castle, Nikolsdorf  6.2 Auqueton of the Blessed Isabelle of France  6.3 Rationale from Regensberg  6.4 Greenland Buttoned and Collared Gown  6.5 Rothwell Jack  6.6 Jupon or Coat-Armour of the Black Prince  6.7 Pourpoint of Charles of Blois  6.8 Pourpoint of Charles VI of France  6.9 Guibbone of Don Garçia de’Medici  6.10 Guibbone of Duke Cosimo I de’Medici 7 Loin and Leg Coverings: Underpants, Hose, Sock, Buskin  Introduction  7.1 Underpants from Lengberg Castle, Nikolsdorf  7.2 Bocksten Hose  7.3 Greenland Stocking  7.4 Garter from London  7.5 Sock from York  7.6 Sock from Uppsala  7.7 Buskins Attributed to St Germanus  7.8 Buskins of Pope Clement II  7.9 Buskins Attributed to St Dizier (Desiderius)  7.10 Buskins of Archbishop Hubert Walter 8 Minor Vestments: Stole, Maniple, Amice, Pallium, Ecclesiastical Girdle, Humeral Veil  Introduction  8.1 Belt of Ailbecunda  8.2 Belt of Witgar  8.3 Pallium with Embroidered Chi-Rho Emblem Associated with St Caesarius of Arles and Later Silk Casing  8.4 Pallium and Casing ‘aux Lièvres’ of Saint Caesarius of Arles  8.5 Matching Stole and Maniple from the Tomb of St Cuthbert  8.6 Maniple of St Ulrich  8.7 Heraldic Stole  8.8 Humeral Veil (?) from Maaseik, known as the Velamen of St Harlindis  8.9 Amice from Munich  8.10 Amice from Cologne 9 Footwear: Shoe, Boot, Slipper, Patten  Introduction  9.1 Pair of Shoes from Oseberg  9.2 Shoe Mounted on a Bone Skate, from York  9.3 London Shoe with Drawstring and Long Toe  9.4 Embroidered Shoe from Bryggen, Bergen  9.5 London Poulaine  9.6 London Patten  9.7 Boots from a Bog Burial Near Peiting  9.8 Shoes of St Germanus  9.9 Shoe Attributed to St Dizier (Desiderius)  9.10 Shoes of Archbishop Hubert Walter 10 Accessories: Mitten, Glove, Secular Belt, Possible Headdress Decoration or Cloak Ties  Introduction  10.1 Icelandic Naalbinding Mitten  10.2 Linked Woven Mittens from Iceland  10.3 Episcopal Gloves (St Sabinus Gloves) from Canosa  10.4 Bressanone (Brixen) Episcopal Gloves  10.5 Episcopal Gloves of William Warham  10.6 Reliquary Gloves of Blessed Christina von Stommeln  10.7 Heraldic Girdle of Fernando de la Cerda  10.8 Girdle of Philip of Swabia  10.9 Enamelled Girdle Associated with William of Wykeham  10.10 Possible Headband Decoration or Cloak Tie from the Tomb of St Cuthbert Glossary Index

About the Author :
Elizabeth Coatsworth BA, MSc, Ph.D., was Senior Lecturer and, until recently, Honorary Research Fellow in the Manchester Institute for Research and Innovation in Art and Design (MIRIAD), Manchester Metropolitan University. Her books include The Durham Gospels (with Christopher D. Verey, and T. Julian Brown, 1980); The Art of the Anglo-Saxon Goldsmith (with Michael Pinder, 2002); and Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Stone Sculpture. VIII. Western Yorkshire (2008). Gale R. Owen-Crocker BA, Ph.D., FSA is Professor Emerita, The University of Manchester, where she was previously Professor of Anglo-Saxon Culture and Director of the Manchester Centre for Anglo-Saxon Studies. Her books include Dress in Anglo-Saxon England (1986, 2004); The Four Funerals in Beowulf (2000); and The Bayeux Tapestry: Collected Papers (2012). She is co-founder and co-editor of the annual journal Medieval Clothing and Textiles.

Review :
"...The chapters following the introduction are a feast to the eye. [...] The strength of the book lies in its wide presentation of clothing from the Middle Ages. Many surviving garments are from a rich or ecclesiastical context, and it is these rich objects that generally receive most attention in research of medieval dress. Coatsworth and Owen-Crocker have attempted to level the scales by including a considerable amount of garments from the archaeological record [...] Clothing the Past: Surviving Garments from Early Medieval to Early Modern Western Europe is a book fit for a range of audiences. Its attractive illustrated layout makes the topic accessible for a wide public, but it is also a must-have for those studying clothing in this period." - Chrystel Brandenburg, in: Costume, 53.1 (2019): 126-27 "Scholarly studies of textiles have multiplied over the last few decades. The interdisciplinary Clothing the Past: Surviving Garments from Early Medieval to Early Modern Western Europe is a welcome addition to this growing corpus". [...] "This beautifully illustrated volume presents 100 surviving garments dating from c. 450 to c. 1575. Because the authors organized the attire by type, it provides an opportunity to compare like pieces across the centuries". [...] "Medievalists as well as textile scholars and enthusiasts will profit greatly from reading this volume in its entirety, for it provides a valuable means of showing both the interconnectedness of the medieval world and its rich variety. It can serve as a useful introduction and provide new information even for experts. In sum, Clothing the Past should appeal to a wide range of readers and will hopefully inspire further study of medieval textiles". Valerie L. Garver, in The Medieval Review, September 2020.