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Other possible examples of embroidery on pleating - Mens Clothing
Lower Rounded Neckline: Early 1510's-1520's ~ mainly Italian |
This fresco, of the Mass of Bolsena, showing four soilders of the swiss guard, done in 1508 by Raphael, is one of the earliest images I have found that shows the style of shirt painted in the portraits by Durer and Ambrosius Holbein The shirt was beginning to take on more of a fashion role as opposed to just being underwear. Image from The Horizon Book of the Renaissance, Richard Ketchum ed, JH Plumb, Author, American Heritage Publishing Inc, NY |
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This portrait of a Man with a Rosary, done by Lucas
Cranach the Elder in about 1508-1509 is very intersting because of the
detail of the layers of pleats. It is difficult to say wether or not
the three rows are different types of embroidery or is just the center
raised portion the embroidery and the areas above and below it, just
held in place by gathering threads. Portrait at the Metroplitan Museum of Art, NY Photography of painting done by Author |
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Portrait of a Man, done in 1511 by Domenico Capriolo, now in the Hermitage in St Petersberg, is almost identical in style to that of the fresco by Raphae abovel. Image from http://gallery.euroweb.hu/html/c/capriolo/port_man.html |
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Like the other images in this section, this is an early style of shirt.
The pleating and the embroidery holding the pleating is seen a bit more
readily. Interesting to note is the front opening on this shirt instead
of the pull over the head style seen on others from the same time period.
SanzioRaffaello, Double Portrait, c1516, Galleria Doria Pamphilj, Rome http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/html/r/raphael/5roma/3/05double.html |
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Titian : Portrait of a Man in a Red Cap, C 1516, this is early Italian style, with the neckline simply drawn up from the fabric into a band of sorts. In this case, you can look carefully and see whiteworked embroidery/pleating hinted at around the edge. Located at the Frick Museum in New York, image at http://www.frick.org/html/pntg10f.htm |
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Continuing in the style of the rounded neck shirt with the small pleating
on the neckline is this portrait by Orley, of Joris van Zelle, done
in 1519, and is housed in theMusées Royaux des Beaux-Arts, Brussels.
What I find interesting about this image is that the sleeve edges are
shown, and they do not appear to be gathered into any form of cuff.
http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/html/o/orley/zelle.html |
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This tiny detail from a painting by Cariani, Portrait of Two Young
Men, 1520’s, Musée du Louvre, Paris, is an example of a
style of shirt and embroidey that is common during the early 1520's
in much of the Italian influenced portraits. Like so much of the other
portraits, it is very hard to tell if the whitework is simply done on
a band which is laid over the pleats or is it done on the pleating itself. http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/c/cariani/2_y_men.jpg |
Higher Rounded necklines, early 15th century embroidery or trim c approx 1510-1530
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This shirt is interesting due to the lines of fine blackwork
done both in vertical stripes and around the neckline. This style is
seen in a number of portraits of both men and women from Italy. It is
difficult to tell whether or not the blackwork on this shirt is holding
the gathering in place or is it simply a band. http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/b/bartolom/veneto/portgent.jpg Bartolomeo Veneto, Portrait of a Gentleman, 1512, Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica, Rome |
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This shirt has narrow gold trim or embroidery on top of
pleating. Like portraits similar to this one, the detail is not quite
enough to tell whether or not this is trim of a form or is it laid gold
work. Both were commonly used during the time period. Quentin Massys, Unknown Man with Rosary. Kunstmuseum Basel, Basel, Switzerland c1515-1530 http://www.abcgallery.com/M/massys/massys3.html |
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This portrait of Portrait of Benedikt von Hertenstein
painted by Hans Holbein the Younger in 1517 is appears to have trim
of sorts placed ontop of pleating. Upon close study of the detail of
the painting, it also reveals black stitching through the top of the
shirt, overlayed with gold. This could be either the trim itself or
it could possibly pattern darned then couched with the gold. Photograph of painting taken by Author, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
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This particular shirt is interesting because it does appear
to be embroidered. If you look closely, the white and the red seems
to follow the pleating that it sits on. While this could indeed be trim
placed over the pleats, the same look could be duplicated by small rows
of trellis stitch or a chain or outline stitch done through the pleats. Bernaert van Orley, Flemish painter, Portrait of Charles V, 1519-20, http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/o/orley/charles5.jpg Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest |
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This minature of Charles V, held in the Victoria and Albert Museum Inventory # P.22-1942, is thought to be a copy of the Orly painting above. But being that it was painted a number of years later, in 1525, by Lucas Hornebolte, it reflects the more modern style of shirt, like that shown below, worn by Nikolaus Kratzer, the fine blackworked neckline. | |
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Another portrait by Holbein, the Portrait of Nikolaus
Kratzer, painted in 1528 has tiny blackwork stitching both on the edge
of the neckline but also over the neckband area. While this could be
done on a flat band that has been placed over the pleating, it could
also be done through the pleats themselves. http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/h/holbein/hans_y/1528/8kratze.jpg Musée du Louvre, Paris |
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Higher Rounded Neckline : Whitework ( no discernable front opening
) 1520's through 1530's
This style of shirt seems has likely evolved from the earlier styles
by just drawing the neckline up more into a collar as the top layers of
the clothing become more volumous and showy. In all of these cases, the
construction would most likely be similar. Gathering up the front and back
and the sleeves into one piece, drawing up the gathers, then doing the emboridery.
The edges vary from a fine ruffle close to the edge to a rounded top edge
made by folding over the fabric and pleating it into the neckline.
The embroidery on the shirts is all of a similar style, whitework in some
form. There are a few portraits that show an opening on the side of the
neckline. This makes sense when you are considering how high the necks are
on the shirts. The insides are not shown on the portraits, so it is impossible
to tell whether or not they would have lined the inside of the collar with
a band of fabric to stablize and protect the pleats.
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Joos van Cleve, From a Portrait of
a Unknown Man, 1520 |
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Hans Holbein the Younger, 1527,Portrait of William
Warham, Archbishop of Canterbury, Musée du Louvre, Paris
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Nicolaus Kremer, Portrait of a Nobleman, 1529,
National Gallery of Art, USA http://www.nga.gov/cgi-bin/pimage?33768+0+0 |
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Barthel Bruyn, German, Portrait of a Man with
Three Sons, c. 1530 The Hermitage, St. Petersburg http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/b/bruyn/man3sons.jpg |
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Dirck Jacobsz, Portrait of Pompeius Occo, 1531,
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam http://gallery.euroweb.hu/html/j/jacobsz/pom_occo.html |
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Jacob Cornelisz Van Oostsanen, CORNELISZ VAN OOSTSANEN,
Self Portrait, 1533 http://gallery.euroweb.hu/art/c/corneliz/selfport.jpg |
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Frederick III (1463–1525), the Wise, Elector
of Saxony, 1533 |
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1530, Joos Van Cleve from the Musée du Louvre from a scene of the last supper, with this gentleman likely being a portrait of the doner. |
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Lucas Cranach the Elder (German, 1472–1553),
John, Duke of Saxony, ca. 1537 |
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Man with a Glove, Joos Van Cleve from the Bentinck-Thyssen
collection |
Higher Neck - Full Collar -center opening ruffled and unruffled
necklines c 1520's to 1540's
These shirts are all examples of a variation of the whiteworked men's shirt.
The difference between these examples and those above is primarily the opening.
All of these are front openings. The opening itself varies between ties,
buttons or variations in between. The ruff also varies through the timeline
as it becomes more pronounced in the late 1530's
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Lotto, Portrait of a Young Man, 1526,
Staatliche Museen, Berlinhttp://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/l/lotto/1524-26/04portra.jpg |
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Chancellor Leonhard von Eck (1480–1550), 1527 Barthel Beham, Metropolitan Museum of Art http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/refo/hob_12.194.htm |
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Quentin Massys. Portrait of a Man. c. 1520-30. Oil on wood. National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh, UK http://www.abcgallery.com/M/massys/massys7.html |
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Barthel Beham, Bildnis des Kaisers Karl V., 1531, Druck, Nürnberg, Germanisches Nationalmuseum http://www.artcyclopedia.com/scripts/r.pl?OF16+191 |
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Christoph Amberger, Goldsmith Jörg Zürer of Augsburg, 1531, Museo del Prado, Madrid http://www.cartage.org.lb/en/themes/Arts/painting/paintings/bigphotos/A/goldsmit.jpg |
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Holbein the Younger ,Portrait of a Member of the
Wedigh Family, 1532, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/h/holbein/hans_y/1535/1wedigh.jpg |
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Holbein the Younger, Portrait of Unknown Gentleman
with Music Books and Lute. c. 1534. Gemaldegalerie, Staatliche Museum,
Berlin, Germany. http://www.abcgallery.com/H/holbein/holbein27.html |
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Barthel Beham, Bildnis des Erasmus Baldermann,
1535, |
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Unknown Flemish Master ~ Portrait of a Young Man,
1530-40, Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Antwerp http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/m/master/zunk_fl/16_paint/2/07youngm.jpg |
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Holbein the Younger ,Sir Richard Southwell, 1536,
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/h/holbein/hans_y/1543/01southw.jpg |
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Barthel Beham, Attributed to Portrait of a Nobleman,1540
National Gallery of Canada http://cybermuse.gallery.ca/cybermuse/search/artwork_e.jsp?mkey=14365 |
High necklines trim vs embroidery in color c 1520's through 1540's
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This particular neckline can easily be
duplicated by such stitches as runnin/outline stitch or a chain stitch.
While you can not see the pleats throught the color, the emphasis
was likely on the embroidery than the fabric. Like the other portraits,
this could be a separate band of embroidery but it is also likely
a nice example of blackworked embroidery on the pleating. Portrait
of Thomas Godsalve and His Son John, 1528, Kunstsammlungen, Dresden Masters of German Art: Holbein, Stephanie Buck, Konemann Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Cologne 1999 |
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In this version of the Portrait of a Man, by Moretto da Brescia, it does look like the bands of embroidery could be actually part of the collor of the shirt. It is my opinion though, that this is more likely to be a tablet woven band, most likely done with silk and gold threads which is laid over the pleated base. This is especially true when the cuffs are examined and there is little evidence to be seen that this is embroidery on the pleating which gathers the cuffs. http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/m/moretto/portr_m.jpgMoretto da Brescia, Portrait of a Man, 1526, National Gallery, London |
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This portrait of Baudouin of Burgundy by Jan Gossaert
(called Mabuse ), housed at the Staatliche Museen in Berlin, was painted
in the mid 1520's based on the dates of his other works.The band making
up the collar of his shirt is very fine and detailed, and would be
extremely difficult to do with embroidery through pleats. Not only
that, the way the small ruff is coming out of the top of the band
looks though it is behind the it, not part of it. This would be a
good example of trim over pleating . http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/g/gossaert/2/baudouin.jpg |
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This portrait of a Man in an Embroidered Gold Cap,
done by Lucas Cranach the Elder in 1532 again shows rows of trim placed
over the pleating of his shirt. Portrait at the Metroplitan Museum of Art, NY Photography of painting done by Author |
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This minature painted by Holbein during his stay
in London in 1532, is thought to be of one of the wealthy Hanseatic
merchants. Held in the Victoria and Albert Museum, Inventory #P.158-1910,
it is another example of possible blackwork embroidery along the neckline
of the shirt. |
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Once again with this portrait of Dirk Tybis, painted
in 1533 by Holbein the Younger, it becomes difficult to determine
the technique for the band around the neckline. While this could be
mimiced by doing satin stitch over the pleating, it is more likely
that this was a separate embroidery that was laid over the pleated
band. http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/h/holbein/hans_y/1535/7tybis.jpg Holbein the Younger ,Portrait of Dirk Tybis, 1533, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna |
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©2004 Two
Rabbit Designs and Baronessa Rainillt
Leia de Bello Marisco ( mka Lee Ann Posavad). The author retains full
copyright for all material.