Date: Mon, 13 Jan 1997 11:54:50 -1000
From: Catherine Kinsey
Subject: Embroidery
Lorina, what ground did you use? and was the silk twisted or untwisted?
Which did you have better results with? Can you tell I've been wanting to
try this :).
Another book I would recommend for researching this is the one by Schutte
and Muller, I think the title is Pictorial Encyclopedia of Embroidery (I
have *got* to start bringing some of my references to work :) ). I
particularly like the detailed descriptions they give of grounds, threads
and patterns.
>From studying OA it seems to me that underside couching was used in the
earlier pieces with the Or Nue technique seeming to be developed in
background work on OA pieces (the St Martin's embroiders are great
examples). Most early OA seems to have been done by women. While the
technique did spread to the continent one account I read seemed to feel
that it was still not the quality of the english embroiderers. The plagues
of the 14th century desimated the ranks of skilled workers in England and
the industry never really recovered. Or Nue took over as the popular work
after that. (For great examples of Or Nue see photos of the Vestments for
the Order of the Golden Fleece).
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
As for books, I highly recommend a publication from the Getty
Foundation called _The Conservation of Embroideries and Tapestries_.
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Date: Tue, 14 Jan 1997 04:38:11 -1000
From: Gary Stephens
Subject: Re: embroidery
Cat wrote:
>Lorina, what ground did you use? and was the silk twisted or untwisted?
>Which did you have better results with? Can you tell I've been wanting to
>try this :).
The ground I used was a fine silk noile. Although this fabric would
not have been used in the Middle Ages, as it would have been considered
inferior, it was what I could afford in silk. The silk which would have
been used would have been a twill or plain evenweave, but at $75.00/yard,
well, this was beyond my means as I needed a very considerable quantity.
The thread I used is a serica, or twisted, as you've said. :) I
chose this because, although both serica and a ver au soie were used, the
serica has more body and would stand up better to wear, an important
consideration in this case. I would suggest that if the piece you intend to
embroider is mostly for decorative purposes, and will receive little
abrasion from wear, then go ahead and use the untwisted (a ver au soie). If
wear is a consideration, use serica.
Given the poor longevity of silk these days (five to 15 years at
best) I'd be inclined to use whatever is going to give me the longest life.
>Another book I would recommend for researching this is the one by Schutte
>and Muller, I think the title is Pictorial Encyclopedia of Embroidery (I
>have *got* to start bringing some of my references to work :) ). I
>particularly like the detailed descriptions they give of grounds, threads
>and patterns.
I concur heartily with this. The title, however, is _The Art of
Embroidery_. It is a very difficult to find book, carries a simply huge
price tag if found, but should be available through library loan. This is
one of those books which are bible.
>>From studying OA it seems to me that underside couching was used in the
>earlier pieces with the Or Nue technique seeming to be developed in
>background work on OA pieces (the St Martin's embroiders are great
>examples).
You are quite correct about underside couching being used in most
earlier pieces. However, or nue was not delegated solely to background, but
was used extensively in clothing and any pictorial area where high realism
and the effects of light and shadow were emphasized.
>Most early OA seems to have been done by women.
This is not entirely true. The great embroideries of the Middle
Ages were, for the most part, executed by embroidery houses, which employed
a good many men. That is not to say convents of nuns did not labour
extensively on embroideries. They did. But those embroideries of
significance, as I said, were stitched by guilds which were governed by
very rigid regulations, and very largely populated by men.
While the
>technique did spread to the continent one account I read seemed to feel
>that it was still not the quality of the english embroiderers. The plagues
>of the 14th century desimated the ranks of skilled workers in England and
>the industry never really recovered. Or Nue took over as the popular work
>after that. (For great examples of Or Nue see photos of the Vestments for
>the Order of the Golden Fleece).
Actually, there are a good many textile conservators and embroidery
experts who would refute that statement. Indeed, yes, the English
embroiderers were skilled to a level rarely found elsewhere, one of the
reasons the body of work known as opus anglicanum has such high regard.
However, the embroidery houses in the Germanic regions, in the 1400s and
later, achieved effects and skill in embroidery very much in keeping with
the high standards of opus anglicanum. Opus teutonicum is often lumped in
with opus anglicanum, for that reason, but that particular body of work is
in fact from a completely different geographic region and does very much
carry with it its own unique flavour.
And it was not the plague which caused the decline in skilled
embroidery, BTW. It was loom technology and the resultant decrease in cost
of lavishly decorated fabric. Once tapestry looms came into existence, and
those weaving mills able to produce highly competitive cloth, the
embroidery guilds were unable to compete, and so were forced out of
business. That gave rise to domestic needlework, and, according to Therle
Hughes, one expert in the field, the deline of quality needlework,
generally speaking. It could be argued, however, the embroideries of Mary
Queen of Scots and a few notable others refutes that claim. However, the
skill of Mary and those few others was rare. Much that was known was lost.
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Date: Thu, 9 Jan 1997 15:42:01 -1000
From: Sarah Randles
Subject: Opus Anglicanum
OK, I'll come out of the wardrobe (not being North American) and admit to
being an SCAer (although I am also a postgrad student in textile history)
with a laurel in embroidery for opus anglicanum work.
There is an excellent book which covers this style of embroidery: Mrs
Archibald Christie's _English Medieval Embroidery_, Oxford: Clarendon,
1938. Unfortunately, it's extremely rare, since it was a limited edition
copy. However, I did my first piece of OA before I'd read it, and while I
would now do it slightly differently, it was basically right.
OA is not actually _difficult_, but it is astoundingly time consuming, and
requires good eyesight. There are two basic techniques that you require;
split stitch for figures and other details, always in silk, couching or
underside couching for background, virtually always in metal thread. Kay
Staniland's _Medieval Craftsmen: Embroiderers_ gives illustrations of both
techniques.
>There's lots about the style in general, and I find the politics of
>buying in a "foreign" style of embroidery fascinating; the discussions
>of Italian churches buying Opus Anglicanum work (from England
>obviously :)
Opus Anglicanum, although originally English, spread as a technique to the
rest of Europe during the thriteenth and fourteenth centuries, although it
was generally acknowledged at the time that the best examples were English.
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Date: Fri, 10 Jan 1997 08:02:12 -1000
From: Gary Stephens
Subject: embroidery - opus anglicanum
Susan wrote:
>There really isn't any big secret to _opus anglicanum_-- it's
>primarily done in couching (for the metallic threads) and split stitch.
And Sarah wrote:
>OA is not actually _difficult_, but it is astoundingly time consuming, and
>requires good eyesight. There are two basic techniques that you require;
>split stitch for figures and other details, always in silk, couching or
>underside couching for background, virtually always in metal thread. Kay
>Staniland's _Medieval Craftsmen: Embroiderers_ gives illustrations of both
>techniques.
I will offer my two cents' worth on the topic. Over the past two
years I have done a great deal of opus anglicanum work, primarily on a
pseudo-reproduction piece which carries trivial statistics like 700
stitches/square inch, approximately 105,000 stitches in the piece, 1.152 km
of silk embroidery thread, etc., etc., etc. While my collegues above are
quite correct in stating opus anglicanum employs primarily couching (both
surface and underside) and split stitch, I would encourage use of the
technique or nue, which is essentially a form of couching, but couching,
you might say, taken to a fanatical extreme. While or nue was employed far
more in opus teutonicum, there are a few examples of it in opus anglicanum.
And I might be so bold as to suggest you really won't have a feel for these
lavish, ecclisastical medieval embroideries until you do attempt a piece
employing or nue.
As for books, I highly recommend a publication from the Getty
Foundation called _The Conservation of Embroideries and Tapestries_. Not
only are there some simply stunning photographs of extent pieces, both
overall and close-up, there is considerable discussion regarding technique,
materials, etc. For anyone truly serious about pursuing this medieval style
of embroidery, the book is a must. There is also a marvelous wee
publication about the St. Martin embroideries which goes into great detail
regarding materials and techniques.
Lorina Stephens
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Date: Tue, 14 Jan 1997 04:36:36 -1000
From: "Sharon L. Harrett"
Subject: Re: Embroidery
On Wed, 8 Jan 1997, Anita Easton wrote:
> Mrs C S Yeldham writes:
>
> > evidence is a result of survival problems. The period covers the flowering
> > of Opus Anglicanum which, as a competant embroiderer, I am completely
> > daunted by (look for pictures of the Syon cope for example), and the
>
> There's lots about the style in general, and I find the politics of
> buying in a "foreign" style of embroidery fascinating; the discussions
> of Italian churches buying Opus Anglicanum work (from England
> obviously :) reminded me of the discussions and feelings which spurred
> the creation of Richelieu work in France. whether you get your
> embroidery from locally (within the congregation if your' ea church)
> seems to effect not only the availability and price of the style, but
> people's feelings about it.
>
> Does anyone know of a good book which covers the techniques of Opus
> Anglicanum sufficiently for me to try working a little?
>
Greetings to all: and to answer your Q, the definitive reference book on
Opus Anglicanum is "English Medieval Embroidery",by A.G.I. Christie, Oxford,
Clarendon Press, 1938. This one has plates, dates, stitches, the works. Only
problem might be locating a copy. Try inter-library loan from a stste
university library. While I am no embroiderer, I am fascinated by the skill
and patience of those who are...... good luck Anita.
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Date: Thu, 9 Jan 1997 08:52:31 -1000
From: Susan Carroll-Clark
Subject: Re: Opus anglicanum
X-Status:
Greetings!
There really isn't any big secret to _opus anglicanum_-- it's primarily done in couching
(for the metallic threads) and split stitch. I think someone has already mentioned
A.G.I. Christie's _English Medieval Embroideries_. It contains diagrams of how to
do the stitching and a lot of good information. Staniland, et. al.'s _Medieval Embroiderers_
is good for its plates and its general details.
What I would suggest you do is look at a lot of examples. I was lucky enough to get
to the V&A last year and look at the samples in their open-display textile room up
close; it was very useful for understanding the shading. I was also given a hint
by a friend who does this technique: stitch with a very fine needle, even a beading needle.
I think the key is patience, and getting an eye for the shading; this technique
is not going to yield any "quickie" results.
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