Thank you, Jane! What an informative long post. I'm saving the most useful
posts in files, and yours is definitely one to keep!
Thanks again for the
work in putting all this together and out there for the rest of us.
Nancy
Connecticut, USA
________________________________
From: Jane Partridge
<jpartri...@pebble.demon.co.uk>
To: lace@arachne.com
Sent: Mon, March 29, 2010
6:00:05 PM
Subject: [lace] The Tudors - costumes
In message
<snt127-w5443a5f5546d1c79a5ce42ba...@phx.gbl>, Bridget Marrow
<bridgetmar...@msn.com> writes
> HENRY VIII
> The costumes look splendid, and
really bring the portraits to life. I think the goldwork may have been
embroidery rather than lace on the original.
Some time ago I quoted a passage
from J R Planché's book, "A History of British Costume" - published by Charles
Knight, London, 1836 - which is based on contemporary reports of the costumes
worn. The following quotes are from this book.
'When Henry VIII met Anne of
Cleves he was habited, according to Hall, in a coat of velvet, somewhat made
"like a frocke, embroidered all over with flatted gold of damaske, and other
laces of the same going traversewise, that the ground little appeared, and
about this garment was a rich guard or border, very curiously embroidered; the
sleeves and the breast were cut and lined with cloth of gold, and tied
together with great buttons of diamonds, rubies and orient pearles."' (pp
237-8)
(Hall - Union of the Families of York and Lancaster, Folio. London
1548-50)
But, I've just found another, earlier quote... Page 221, talking
about his father, Henry VII....
'This sort of habit, however, was worn only
by the nobility. In Barclay's Ship of Fooles of the Worlde, printed by Pynson
AD1508, may be found several notices of the dress of the day. Mention is made
of some who had their necks
"Charged with collars and chaines
In golden
writhes, their fingers full of rings,
Their necks naked almost unto the
raines,
Their sleeves blazing like unto a crane's wings."
And others are
called on to "come neare" with their shirts "bordered in forme of surplois."
Shirts bordered with lace, and curiously adorned with needlework, continued a
long time in use amongst the nobility and gentry.'
Laces (note the s) are
mentioned separately, in terms of use for attaching slashed parts of sleeves
together....
'The elegant fashion of slashing makes its appearance about this
time...... the complete division of the sleeve into two or more pieces, and
their attachment to each other by means of points or laces through which the
shirt is seen puffed and protruding.'
which is why I think the "lace"
bordering the shirt is different to the "laces" (think shoe-type laces)
joining the parts of the sleeves. Gold network was used in under caps at this
time. (p222).
Lace is mentioned the chapter about Elizabeth - from the time
of the Armada in 1588 when she has a portrait painted, wearing "a
high-standing collar edged with lace" and then mention of ruffs in a quote
from a document by Stubbs ('Anatomy of Abuses') "clogged with gold, silver or
silk lace" (p258)
But, lack of referral to lace prior to that date doesn't
necessarily mean that it wasn't being worn.
and then onto the gowns,
"but if
the whole garment be not of silk or velvet, then the same must be layed with
lace two or three fingers broad all over the gown; or if lace is not fine
enough for them, hesays they must be decorated with broad gardes of velvet
edged with costly lace"
If I remember correctly (and I'm sure I'll be
corrected otherwise!) lace was being made in Spain before Katherine of Aragon
came to England (ie late 1400s), and it would therefore be likely that she
would possess lace, and maybe some of her ladies would know of its production.
At this time, Henry VII was still on the throne (until 1509). The much
mentioned pattern books - published in the 1560s (?) and saying that lace was
being made for some 25 years previous to that - puts a date around 1536, when
Elizabeth would have been about three years old - and Henry VIII didn't die
until 1547. Planché writes that fashions didn't change much between Henry VIII
and Elizabeth's reigns - possibly with the amount of money needed for the
various wars no-one could afford it! Also, how skilful were the artists of the
time in depicting lace as opposed to embroidery? We depend a lot on
portraiture, but can we be certain what we are looking at?
Could the reason
why the earlier writers described the needlework as being curious be because
they hadn't come across lace before and it was as near a description as they
could make, especially to needlelace?
-- Jane Partridge
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