Pleatwork Embroidery

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Overview of Embroidery on Pleats in Men's Clothing

Men's clothing is much easier to document than that of the women's due to the more numerous portraiture of the time. While the usage of pleated and embroidered clothing most likely existed prior to the late 15th century into the mid 16th century, the documentation through painting and with extant garments is not substantiated with the exception of the ecclesiastical one noted in the introduction.

The other factor that must be taken into place is the changes of fashion. The accessibility to clothing and material to all levels of class began to bring about changes in fashion. Conspicuous consumption of goods directly influenced styles. More was better, thus changes took place with clothing. More fabric being used and been seen, meant solution were required. Pleating was a natural alternative to just gathering the cloth. The shirts were seen now, at least at the neckline, which meant that embellishing the clothing would be a fashion must.

Dr Jutta Zander-Seidel in her book Textiler Hausrat, Kleidung und Textilen aus Nürnberg, 1500-1650 that the rectangular construction from earlier times was still used to maximize fabric use but now with the wider neckline gathered up with small pleats. She describes the period term to be 'fitz-arbeit' (pleat work) which is modernly called 'smok-arbeit'or smock work. The pleats were set in place using a linen press which was a wooden implement that clamped the pleats in place, presumably while wet. This would explain an alternative process to gathering the fabric up with threads. ⁽¹⁾

Two of the most famous portraits that are used to document embroidery over pleating are the self portraits by Durer,one painted in 1493 ⁽²⁾ and the other in 1498. ⁽³⁾

	In the earlier portrait you can clearly see the gathering stitches as well as the trellis pattern up at the top of the neck holding in the pleats.
Detail of 1493 Portrait

The second portrait done 5 years later, is of similar style except that the pleats are much tighter, more fabric has been used and instead of embroidery the shirt is trimmed. It is not clearly seen whether or not there would be any anchoring embroidery on the reverse side, but because the pleats are so tightly pulled it would not be as necessary as the pleats hold themselves in place with just the use of the gathering threads which are hinted at in the portrait. Was this a case of styles changing? or perhaps it was due to Durer's own prosperity, affording more expensive trims and more fabric.

Detail of 1498 Portrait

Another portrait, this one of St Sebastian by Giovanni Boltraffio ⁽⁴⁾ also painted in the 1490’s, shows a very similar style of shirt to that of the second Durer self portrait. It has 2 rows of narrow pleating held in place by what appears to be very tiny stitches. The neckline is consistent with the fashions of the era, the low straight neck which continued in different variations into the 1500's, especially in Italy.

A portrait presumed to a portrait of Henry VII, painted by an unknown artist in about 1520, ⁽⁵⁾ has the same style as in the Durer and Boltraffio portraits over 20 years later.

The art of portraits was beginning to be very popular and there are many paintings that document men’s fashion. Within the same time frame though, a newer style of fashion was beginning to be seen. The The necklines progressed from the lower rounded styles to higher ruffed in the space of just a few years, though both styles were seen up until the mid 1530’s. Eventually by the middle of the century the clothing began to have a separate ruff, thus ending the need for an integral ruff in the shirts. ⁽⁶⁾ In fact, in 1532, Willibald Pirckheimer had in his clothing inventory 27 linen ruffs (Kragen) “smocked and unsmocked so a person can place and sew it to a shirt” ⁽⁷⁾

	The honeycombed style shirt is from a portrait by Ambrosius Holbein ⁽⁸⁾ , done in 1518 is most likely done in what we know as honeycomb stitch or surface honeycomb. This style is inferred in woodcuts throughout Germany during this period.
Detail of Painting

The detail from the Portrait of Jakob Meyer zum Hasen, done by Holbein the Younger in 1516. ⁽⁹⁾ is of particular interest because while seemingly done in a satin stitch could also possibly be done in a style of embroidery similar to pattern darning, which is done by taking the threads in and out like a running stitch through the pleats. There are fragments of extant garments in the Museum of London from the Tudor time period that may prove to be in the same style as this shirt. ⁽¹⁰⁾

Tudor Cuff

Detail of Painting

Pattern darned cuff sample, using the same pattern. Done with 2 strands of silver passing thread over pleats done with a modern pleater ( spacing approx 1/8" ) on the gathering

close up of the reworked cuff

comparison of the two cuffs side by side

	This shirt with what looks like honeycomb type pleating and overlayed with trim is an interesting variation on the pleated embroidered shirt painted by Hans Balding Grien ⁽¹¹⁾ it is a portrait of Count Philip and is an early example of the higher collar on shirts.
Detail of Painting

This portrait also begins a trend in the style of embroidery on the clothing of the early 16th century, blackwork and other similar colored embroidery. The use of blackwork is clearly a fashion trend. Holbein documented the usage of this stitch through many of his portraits, to the degree that it modernly became known as the Holbein Stitch. A very simple example of this possibly being used to hold pleating down is nicely seen in the portrait of the Merchant Georg Gisze painted in 1532 ⁽¹²⁾

There are many many portraits that have black and other colors of embroidery on the necklines. Some of these are very likely trims which are made to look like elaborate embroidery, many may be embroidery done on the surface of the pleating to simulate expensive trims. One painting which clearly documents the usage of embroidery on pleats is in a portrait of a Venetian gentleman by Jan van Scorel, painted in 1520,⁽¹³⁾ is one of the best images I have found that documents embroidery through pleats on men’s shirts.

You can see the pleats through the embroidery and on the close-up the detail of the stitches can been seen. The fabric must have been extremely fine for this design to work. The lowest row of stitches (the triangle and diamond shapes) would require between 8 and 10 pleats in about ¼” using a variation of the outline or trellis stitch. The ruff seems to have some crispness, so it is very likely that a fabric such as silk or linen lawn was used to make this shirt.

Detail of Painting

	This portrait by Lotto⁽¹⁴⁾, is a nice example because it shows the embroidery on the sleeve as well. While it is not completely certain that this is done in blackwork style or using other stitches just with black thread it is more likely than not to be embroidery as opposed to trim placed over the pleating.
Detail of Painting

	This image was difficult to figure out until I was able to scan it in at high enough resolution. What came up in the scan was very detailed blackwork in what looks to be interlaced hearts. While there is alway the possibility as with any of these portraits and articles of clothing, that this is blackworked trim laid over a band of pleats, its it very plausable that this is indeed blackworked or running stitch done on the pleating.⁽¹⁵⁾
Close up of detail
	Romanino painted Portrait of a Man between 1516 and 1519.⁽¹⁶⁾, While the arguement could be that this is actually trim, if you examine both the top and bottom rows of the design plus the design itself on the left side you can see where the artist has painted in stitches which in modern smocking terms would be an outline or stem stitch which is slightly pulled due to the wearing of the garment. This design could be easily duplicated using combinations of trellis and satin stitches as long as there were enough pleats in the fabric to keep the stitches close together.
	This beautiful painting by Lotto, of Messer Marsilio⁽¹⁷⁾ and his wife, painted in 1523 is a rich study in the ethnically influence italian fashion's of the early 16th century. The neckline is only barely discernable but what can be seen looks to be a representation of blackwork embroidery on the collar. The embroidery on the wife's blouse, is also detailed in the section on women's clothing.

While the colored emboidery on the shirts would have been very fashionable it was not the previlant style seen in the early 16th century.The whiteworked shirt that evolved is the most common style of embroidered shirt.

	Earlier styles were either done similar to the earlier styles of Durer like this painting of Hilten by Joos Van Cleves ⁽¹⁸⁾ painted in the early 1500's. While the detail is a bit blurry it looks to be very tiny honeycombed shapes.
Detail of Painting

The honeycomb pattern is very prevelant throughout the paintings and woodcuts of the German artists. There was a find at the Alpirsbach Monastery which included this boy’s shirt as well as other pieces of clothing dating from the 16th century. This clearly shows the honeycomb technique that has been hinted at in the portraiture.
⁽¹⁹⁾ extant shirt

	This detail from a painting by Scorel, painting in 1531⁽²⁰⁾, shows remarkable similarity to the extant shirt shown above. The honeycomb pattern is very detailed in the painting. In this case the edge is finished with a binding instead of a ruffle.
	This detail from a family portrait painted in 1530 by Heemsker. ⁽²¹⁾ This detail of the child’s shirt looks like it could be done with either a honeycomb stitch or possibly a trellis or straight stitch.

This painting of St Gregory by Grien done in 1511⁽²²⁾ gives also hints at the honeycombed high neckline of the early 1500's. In this case it is an undergarment for eccesiastical usage. This neckline and the neckline in the above portrait by Heemsker are part of a style which appears to have a rolled edge along the top. This could done during the pleating stage by folding the raw edge over and pleating it down with the rest of the fabric. Drawn up tightly it would create this type of effect.

This particular neckline was interesting because it is obviously done in a similar fashion to the others of its time. But the absence of visible embroidery and the embellishment with "pearls" makes it very unusual. It demonstrates the wealth of the sitter as well as his social class. ⁽³²⁾

Fashion began to move the necklines up higher and instead of hiding that finished edge it began to be left as a ruffle above the trim and / or embroidery. If the portraits are explored the transition can be seen from these earlier styles to those of the mid century with the fuller ruffs. Holbein, painting from about 1532 to 1536 in both Germany and England and other artists documented this style extensively.

The embroidery is very difficult to see in this Portrait of a member of the Wedigh family painted in 1533 by Holbein the Younger ⁽²³⁾ What is nice about this image is that it shows an alternative to fastening with the usage of a small bead or button in the ties.

This painting of Matthäus Schwartz done in 1526 by Hans Maler is a transition piece.. ⁽²⁴⁾ This does not appear to be done in the earlier honeycomb type stitches but still retains some of the styles of the earlier shirts. The stitching which can be seen in not in full detail does appear to be of more elaborate rown of embroidery. The texture is slightly raised and takes on more of a whitework look. Most of the modern smocking stitches can be done to get this type of effect on the shirt.

The shirt painted here in this portrait of Sebastien Münster by Christoph Amberger ⁽²⁵⁾, in his comes close to revealing the details of the embroidery. While it is still not detailed enough to be certain of the technique , it is possible to see that the embroidery is fairly even with the fabric, and that it follows the pleat lines. These are good indications that the embroidery was done through the pleats and not just placed on top of them as surface embroidery.

An area that must be explored is the usage of the pleats as nothing but the ground or background for trims and other types of work to go on them. While the useage of laying trim over pleating is not considered a form of embroidery, it was heavily used during the period under study and therefore its included as an example for comparison.

This picture of a young bridegroom painted by Cranach ⁽²⁶⁾, features three rows of what can only be considered to be trim laid upon pleated fabric.

Dr. Jutta Zander-Seidel in Textiler Hausrat ⁽²⁷⁾ talks about the custom of German brides, until some time in the 18th century, to present their husbands with a shirt worked in gold as a wedding gift. This would explain the elaborate embroidery on some of the portraits we see as many were used as wedding portraits and documented both the patron’s social status as well as wealth. One of the sumptuary laws in place by the 3rd quarter of the 16th century in Germany was the forbidding of "good pearls, as well as other embroidery or other gold or silver embellishment" for all classes except Patricians. This would explain much of what we see in the portraits during this time.

	This portrait of Jan Bezdruzicky of Kolovrat, done by a Unknown Bohemian Master, currently at Castle Gallery in Rychonov, in the second half of the 16th century is an example of the usage of fine gold work on a pleated shirt. The gold appears to be bullion laid down in slight diagonals over the pleats. This was obviously an expensive shirt for an upper noble. ⁽²⁸⁾
Detail of Painting

	This shirt, that of Ottheinrich, Prince of Pfalz, painted in 1535 by Barthel Beham ⁽²⁹⁾ is a prime example of just this. It is obviously goldwork, most likely a trim which appears to be tablet woven is heavily embellished with pearls.
Detail of Painting

The close up of Holbein’s Portrait of Edward, Prince of Wales painted in 1539 ⁽³⁰⁾ is another such example, embroidered with gold. Arguements can be made on both sides as to whether or not this is trim or is it couched goldwork as is seen in the royal embroideries of the time.

These two paintings are placed together as they are considered to be portraits of two brothers. Jan van Scorel done in the 1520's and in the collection of Christ Church, Oxford England #'s JBS 235 and JBS 236. Images found at http://rubens.anu.edu.au/

closeup of collar	The brothers were obviously wealthy enough and of high enough social standing to afford the gold embroidery work. While on first look they do seem to be different techniques, both shirts are done over pleats. The one to the right, has the more conventional honeycomb shape to the design, it also looks like it may have been either overlaid in gold, most likely couched along the pleat edge, and also with bands of embroidery to stablize it top and bottom. The lack of gold on the lower half may just be how the artist interpreted the next row, rather than there actually being a lack of gold there
close up of collar	The portrait on the left, upon close look the pleats have been painted showing between the embroidery. The embroidery seems to be done in the style of whitework, but using gold as well as white. It is likely that this embroidery was done on a sheer ground, like a silk gauze and then laid over the pleated, finished by running the top and bottom rows through the ground and the pleating. The possibility does exist however that the actual work could have been done directly on the pleating. The artist has painted in enough of detail that stitches are shown, the pleats are showing in between some of the open areas, and everything in this pattern could be done directly on the pleating, in couched work, satin stitch.
	This image of Henry 8th by Holbein is part of the Fundacion Coleccion Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid. As with the images of the young Edward above, an arguement could be that this is trim overlaid over the pleating, but during the tudor era there was elaborate goldwork done on both clothing and household items, usually couched/laidwork and the embroidery on this collar is consistent with that. ⁽³¹⁾
Large version of the image

If we put ourselves in the place of the typical merchant class woman, making her husband's wedding shirt we must think in terms of what was available to use for fabric, trim and threads. In addition, what were the fashion trends of the time. If the idea of adding gold and pearls were only for the rich or the higher class, if elaborate trims were unaffordable, if purchasing or hiring someone to do months of work on the collar of a single shirt was unattainable, what were her options. To do the embroidery herself, imitating or copying current styles.

Many of the portraits that were painted by Holbein and others during the 16th century in England, Germany and Italy were of the bourgeois and merchant class. They had the wealth, but they did not have the social standing that would allow them the richer clothing. Therefore with embroidery very fine work could be done on their shirts making them very elaborate without incurring fines or breaking the law.

~Further examples from period artwork and portraiture~

Men's Bibliography
1. Textiler Hausrat, Kleidung und Haustextilien in Nurnberg 1500-1650: Jutta Zander-Seidel - pages 202 - 206, translated by Katherine Barich

2 .http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/d/durer/1/01/04self22.jpg
Albrecht Durer, Self-portrait at 22, 1493, Musée du Louvre, Paris, Image from Web Gallery of Art

3 .http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/d/durer/1/02/05self26.jpg
Albrecht Durer, Self-Portrait at 26, 1498, Museo del Prado, Madrid, Image from Web Gallery of Art

4 .http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/b/boltraff/sebastia.jpg
Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio, St. Sebastian, 1490’s, Pushkin Museum, Moscow, Image from Web Gallery of Art

5 .http://www.npg.org.uk/live/search/portrait.asp?LinkID=mp02145&rNo=0&role=sit
Unknown artist, King Henry VIII, NPG 4690, 1520, National Gallery of Art, USA

6 .The Pictorial Encylopedia of Fashion: Ludmila Kybalova, Olga Herbenova, Milena Lamarova , Paul Hamlyn, London. 1968

7 .Textiler Hausrat, Kleidung und Haustextilien in Nurnberg 1500-1650: Jutta Zander-Seidel - pages 202 - 206, translated by Katherine Barich

8 http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/h/holbein/ambrosiu/portrait.jpg
Ambrosius Holbein, Portrait of a Young Man, 1518, The Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Image from Web Gallery of Art

9 http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/h/holbein/hans_y/1518/3meyer1.jpg
Holbein the Younger, Portrait of Jakob Meyer zum Hasen, 1516,Kunstmuseum, Öffentliche Kunstsammlung, Basle, Image from Web Gallery of Art

10 The Book of Smocking: Diana Keay - Aero Publishing, NY 1985, pg 6

11 .http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/b/baldung/3/3philip.jpg
Hans Balding Grien, Count Philip, 1517, Alte Pinakothek, Munich, Image from Web Gallery of Art

12 .http://gallery.euroweb.hu/art/h/holbein/hans_y/1535/2gisze.jpg
Portrait of the Merchant Georg Gisze,1532, Staatliche Museen, Berlin, Image from Web Gallery of Art

13 .http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/s/scorel/portrait.jpg
Jan van Scorel, Portrait of a Venetian Man, 1520, Landesmuseum, Oldenburg, Image from Web Gallery of Art

14 .http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/l/lotto/1521-23/07couple.jpg
Lorenzo Lotto, Husband and Wife, 1523, The Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Image from Web Gallery of Art

15 .http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/h/holbein/hans_y/1535/5born.jpg
Holbein the Younger, Portrait of Derich Born, 1533, Royal Collection, Windsor. Image from Web Gallery of Art

16 .http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/r/romanino/manportr.jpg
Romanino, Portrait of a Man, 1516-1519, Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, Image from Web Gallery of Art

17 .http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/l/lotto/1521-23/08marsil.jpg
Lorenzo Lotto, Messer Marsilio and his Wife, 1523, Museo del Prado, Madrid, Image from Web Gallery of Art

18 .http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/j/joos/cleve/portrai1.jpg
Joos Van Cleves, Portrait of Anthonis van Hilten, Rijksmuseum Twenthe, Enschede, Image from Web Gallery of Art

19 .http://www.schloesser-magazin.de/eng/objekte/alp/alp_museume.php
Alpirsbach Monastery Ilse Fingerlin, Textil und Lederfund, from Alpirsbach Zur Geschichte von Kloster und Stadt, page 757, image provided by Katherine Barich, with many thanks

20 .http://cgfa.sunsite.dk/s/p-scorel1.htm
Scorel, Portrait of a Young Scholar, 1531, Museum Boymans-van Beuningen at Rotterdam, Image from CGFA

21 .http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/h/heemsker/fam_port.jpg
Heemsker, Family Portrait, 1530, Staatliche Museen, Kassel, Image from Web Gallery of Art

22 .St Gregory by Grien done in 1511
Painting located at Cleveland Museum of Art, Photography by Author

23 .http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/h/holbein/hans_y/1535/4wedigh.jpg
Portrait of a Member of the Wedigh Family,1533, Staatliche Museen, Berlin, Image from Web Gallery of Art

24 .Paintings in the Louvre: Lawrence Gowing, Stewart, Tabori, & Chang, Ney York,Hans Maler Matthäus Schwartz 1526 Page 222

25 .http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/a/amberger/munster.jpg
Christoph Amberger, Portrait of the Cosmographer Sebastien Münster, c. 1552, Staatliche Museen, Berlin, Image from Web Gallery of Art

26..http://virtualart.admin.tomsk.ru/cranach1/p-cran1-30.htm
Young Bridegroom, 1539, oil on panel, Museum of Art, São Paulo, Image from CGFA

27..Textiler Hausrat, Kleidung und Haustextilien in Nurnberg 1500-1650: Jutta Zander-Seidel - pages 202 - 206, translated by Katherine Barich

28..Pictoria Encyclopedia of Fashion, Kybalova, Herbernova and Lamarova Ed, Paul Hamlyn, London, LOC #68-14771

29..http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/b/beham/barthel/ottheinr.jpg
Barthel Beham, Portrait of Ottheinrich, Prince of Pfalz, 1535 Nürnberg, Alte Pinakothek, Munich, Image from Web Gallery of Art

30.http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/h/holbein/hans_y/1535h/05edward.jpg
Holbein the Younger, Portrait of Edward, Prince of Wales, c. 1539 National Gallery of Art, Washington

31.Masters of German Art: Holbein: Stephanie Buck, Konemann Verlagsgesellschaft mbH Cologne 1999

32. Portrait of a Man by Jan Gossart ( called Mabuse ) ca 1520-1525, Located in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY, Photography by Author

* I would like to give special thanks to Katherine Barich for her work on both suppling some of the images for this site as well as for her work in translating.