Golden egg project - The makers and the wearers of 16th century embroidery

The society of the golden egg is a challenge household for the arts and sciences in the Kingdom of Drachenwald, within the Society for Creative Anachronism. The aim of the Society of the Golden Egg is to encourage artisans to increase their knowledge and skills through continuous challenges of at least intermediate difficulty, but which are a personal challenge to the person seeking to join the society. Challengers normally have up to one year to complete their challenge. Im going to recreate a german 16th century embroidery, a headgear-decoration from 1510-15. To read more about my challenge look here. I have also written about my pattern here and the tools and material needed for embroidery, here.  
To expand my golden egg - project I wanted to do more than my embroidered cap. I wanted to know  who was doing this type of work in 16th century Germany and who was wearing it. To connect the different embroideries with social status. Who are these people that use this type of decorations? These questions are big, I could write books about each one. This is a start. I will keep learning and maybe there will appear more info on the blog someday.  

So, who made these embroideries?

The execution of fine needlework was an essential and fitting accomplishment for a well-born lady during the medieval/renaissance period. Embroidering household-linen and clothing played an important part in wealthier households. But there where also craft people working in embroidery and weaving, male as female. According to the book German renaissance patterns for embroidery – A facsimile copy of Nicolas Bassées new modelbuch of 1568 printers in Germany during the 16th century listed workers such Näherin – seamstress, Perlenstickern – embroiderer of pearl trimmings, Seidenstickern – silk embroiderer and Neterin – net maker. 

Hieronymus Rodler 1539 Seidenstickern, a embroiderer.

The equipment needed for embroidery was not expensive, it was the materials that could be. Narrow borders on clothing and household-linen did not demand a great skill. As an example, some simpler counted-thread patterns are quite easy to learn. Therefore could many aspire to small details like these. If you made your own linen clothing it was not a big deal to add some decorations. And small embroideries didn't require much space and could be made by one single embroiderer. Given the intimate nature of the clothing items, they could have been worked by the women of the family themselves, rather than professionals. There is evidence however, that these type of domestic items was also purchased, if you had the money for it. For the preparation of the marriage of Lord Dárcy of Hengrave Hall in 1583 one woman was paid to make embroideries on sleeves, bodies, ruffs and collars. The items was probably already made by a seamstress and sent away to be embroidered. Roberta Orsi Landini and Bruna Niccoli presents the theory in the book Moda a Firenze - Lo stile di Elenora di Toledo e la sua influenza that embroiderers, or traders of fashion accessories, also offered ready made bands of embroidery to be applied to clothing. The presence of embroidery with big similarities in portraits also seems to validate that theory. These two examples occurred in England and Italy but would likely also be able to happen in Germany at the time. 
Bigger items like ecclesiastical objects demanded more workforce and was created by embroidery workshops consisting of more than one person. A workshop could consist of anything from two to over a hundred people. There where also special guilds for embroiderers. Professional embroiderers often got help from artists to create the patterns. And patterns for domestic embroidery became available for a larger group of people by the invention of the printing press. 

Quentel 1532 A Embroideress, a seidenstickerin.

And who wore it? 

Silk was a status symbol for the wealthiest people in society. The quality of the fabric was a indicator of the status of the wearer. In the medieval times and later in the renaissance it mattered what fabric your clothing were made of, what grade of silk fabric you wore and the cost of the color. It told the surrounding community what social class you belonged to. It was forbidden by law to dress above your class. It was a narrow social class that could purchase and wear this exclusive commodity. Silk or gold-embroidered dresses were generally forbidden to non-noble persons, silk-, gold- and pearlwork were restricted to the upper-classes.  According to Lisa Monnas, in the book Merchants, Princes, and Painters, not only the fabric and the lavish use of gold and silver thread, but also the complicated embroideries, were an indication of status. The fabric and thread could be expensive, and so was the workmanship. As an example – the embroiderers work for making the embroidery on a set of garments for Edward VI´s coronation in England cost almost half of what the painter Holbein got as a annual salary.

During the 16^th century silk gradually became available to other classes of society, first as small items like for examples sleeves and caps. In the early 16^th century the towns were prospering through new fortunes and that made the German middle class able to dress more richly. Men adopted ample shirts gathered into woven or embroidered high collars and women´s apparel was altered by richly decorated shirts/hemd and embroidered caps/haube. Other small items like veils and ribbons have also been found listed among the possessions of servants.

In paintings we can see everything from thin simple embroidered ribbons to caps completely decorated with embroidery. Its easy to assume that the thin ones were made by the wearer or someone in the household while the more complicated ones where made by professionals. But this is a guess I made out of my context and nothing that I actually have information of. According to George Wingfield Digby, in the book Elizabethan Embroidery, it can be almost impossible to say, in much embroidery of this kind, with any certainty whether it is domestic work or made by professionals. When embroidery is included in inventories, the most common is that the design is not described, only that it is embroidery and the material its made of.

In a time when the value of the fabrics was of importance for showing the wealth of the wearer it is not even sure that the clothing and the embroidery in paintings we love ever existed. Painters during the 16^th century and the centuries before was very skilled in painting silk, not only from life, but from a sample or a drawing. Portraits were intended to show the sitter in their most favorable aspect. 

Clara by Conrad Faber von Creuznach, Magdalena by Barthel Beham, Anna by Maestro del Monogama and two unknown ladies made by Peter Gertner and Bernhard Strigel.

All of these lovely ladies had money enough to get their portraits done. There is no question of their wealth. So, is there embroideries in other types of paintings? City views? Paintings of bigger groups of people? 

• On the cover of the book German Modelbücher by Marion McNealy there is a woodcut from a patternbook from 1556 made by Hans Hoffman with a woman with an embroidered gollar. She is obviously a seamstress and she wears embroidery, but a pretty simple one.
• In the series of paintings called Augsburg monthly paintings showing landscapes from Augsburg in the 16th century, many people are depicted. We can see embroidered collars, hairbands and a goldhaube, but no embroidered caps. The set of paintings could be found here. 
• In the Fountain of youth made by Lucas Cranach there is a lot of pearl-trimmed goldhauben and also plain ones, but no embroideries. 
• Susanna and the elders by Albrecht Altdorfer, hairbands and plain headwear. No embroideries.

It is difficult to draw any conclusions from this. Maybe embroideries of the kind I´m looking for is too small to be seen in other types of paintings than portraits? Or not worth painting in a wider scenery? Or some of the most fancy garment you owned and you only wore it for special occasions, like getting your portrait done?

Where everyone allowed to wear embroideries?

Even if you had the money too buy silk you could be restrained from doing so by the sumptuary laws. German imperial ordinances relating to sumptuary laws dates from 1495, 1497, 1498, 1500, 1518, 1521, 1530, 1548 and 1577. It remained unchanged until the end of the Holy Roman Empire, 231 years later. Obviously it lost some importance after the 16th century.

Even dough there were laws for the entire empire they were subject to editing and further restrictions from the leaders of the different cities. These laws did not only contained clothing, but clothing was a huge part of them. Looking at the sumptuary law from 1530 printed as a pamphlet with thirty-nine paragraphs, twenty-three focused on dress. More than from any other year. When the versions from 1548 and 1577 were publicized they contained the dress-regulations from 1530´s version.

Embroidery is mentioned frequently in the sumptuary laws. But the restrictions for embroidery did often not concern embroidery itself, only those made of expensive materials like gold, silver, silk and pearls. They did not apply to embroidery made of linen or wool.Whitework as an example, where made with white linen thread on white linen fabric and therefore not restricted by sumptuary law. But it where still time-consuming work? Does that mean that whitework was something you made for yourself at home? Maybe, if you didn't need the money from selling it. 

Bauer/Peasants

For the peasants, Bauer in german, it is said in the ordinance from 1530 that they: “have not gold/ silver/pearls or silk embroidered collars on shirts/ also no silk (?) with gold or silk embroidered breast cloths.”. Shirts or headwear were not mentioned. Only that they had no right to wear precious embroidered collars. So, we most likely don´t see embroidered caps on the peasants.

Do we see them on the wives of the landsknechts? The license to dress in style lured young men into soldiering, which exempted them from sumptuary laws. Did that included their women? The ordinance from 1530 does not mention women of the tross. Therefore, it is likely that they were covered by the rules that applied to their social class at home. According to the image sources we have we don´t see any embroideries, but we do see silk brocades. Why is it so? If any of you know any woodcuts with a woman from the tross with embroideries, please let me know. They would probably sold items like these if they could lay their hands on it, and not wear it themselves. 

Burger/Town dwellers

What about the next social class, the Burger; the town dwellers? The tradespeople and servants is also included in this class. According to the ordinance from 1530 the wives of Burgers: traders and townspeople could wear collars decorated with silk. Even though embroideries made of more expensive materials were forbidden. But there where allowed veils with borders, but not wider than two fingers. This probably includes small silk embroidery on caps and veils. With colors that was not that expensive.

Kaufleute/Merchants

Merchants wives could have veils decorated with borders as wide as four fingers. Silk gollars was allowed if they did not cost over twenty gulden. The upper limit of expenses on cloth was two gulden per ell, about 60 cm. This might have included silk embroidered caps and veils. But perhaps not very wide ones. Or by the more exclusive materials.

Geschlechter/ Patricians

Patricians were allowed silk clothing. They could have camlet gowns guarded with four ells of velvet or silk at the most, and velvet and silk doublets, with the exception of crimson. Belts up too a worth of thirty golden and caps made of silk was also allowed. So, silk embroidered caps were absolutely used.

Adel/Nobility

The nobility were allowed to wear silk, both in headwear and all other garments. Four silk gowns that could be worn openly, of both velvet, damask and other silks. Decorated with pearls, silver and gold. Golden coifs if also mentioned. So here we should find our big, over the top, embroideries with a lot of silk in different colors, and also silver and gold.
 

Summary

Gulden was used in the Holy Roman Empire during the 14th to 16th centuries in generic reference to gold coins. Steven Ozment tells us in his book Kropp och ande: Privatliv i renässansens Tyskland that Paul Behaim the 18th of January 1613 gives his daughter in law new headwear with gold threads worth 50 gulden as a new years gift. He also describes that the annual salary of a journeyman was 100 gulden. So headwear of the upper classes could cost a considerable sum. As we also understand by reading the sumptuary law.
Embroideries could be made by professionals or at home, both by males and females. They could cost almost nothing, like whitework. Or cost more than some people could earned for a hole year. All depending on the materials and skills of the maker. And even if you had the money too buy silk you could be restrained from doing so by law. Almost every social class could wear embroidery, but the design would be according to class.

Literature: 

Abegg, Margaret. Apropos patterns for embroidery, lace and woven textiles. 
Barich, Katherine, McKnealy, Marion. Drei Schnittbücher: Three Austrian Master Tailorbooks of the 16th century. Nadel und Faden press. 2015
Bergemann, Uta-Christiane. Europäische Stickereien 1250-1650. Regensberg: Schnelle Steiner, 2010.
Browne, Clare et al. English Medieval Embroidery: Opus Anglicanum. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2017.  
Carey, Jacqui. Sweet Bags.Carey company. 2010
Christie, A.G.I. English Medieval Embroidery. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1938.
Digby, Wingfield, George. Elizabethan Embroidery. Yoseloff; First American Edition edition. 1964

Epstein Kathleen A. German renaissance patterns for embroidery – A facsimile copy of Nicolas Bassées new modelbuch of 1568. Texas: Curious Works Press. 1994.

Levey, Santina M. The embroideries at Hardwick Hall: A catalog. National Trust. 2007
McKnealy, Marion. German Modelbücher 1524-1556. Kennewick, WA: Nadel und Faden press. 2018. 
Monnas, Lisa. Renaissance velvets. London: Victoria & Albert Museum. 2012.
Monnas, Lisa. Merchants, Princes and Painters: Silk Fabrics in Italian and Northern Paintings 1300-1550. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2008

Niccoli, Bruna, Orsi Landini, Roberta. Moda a Firenze 1540-1580: Lo stile di Eleonora di Toledo e la sua influenza .Fondazione Arte della seta lisio Firenze. 2005

Ozment, Steven. Kropp och ande: Privatliv i renässansens Tyskland. Stockholm: Natur och Kultur. 2001.

Riello, Giorgio, Rublack, Ulinka. The right to dress Sumptuary laws in a global perspective, c. 1200-1800

Staniland, Kay. Medieval Craftsmen: Embroiderers. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1991. 

The sumptuary law from 1530 is translated by Katherine Barich.