Pattern for mid 14thC aketon

Andrew McKinnon · Post by **Andrew McKinnon** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 7:01 pm

I am after a pattern for making an aketon circa 1350 or so. I intend to point the enclosed vambraces of my harness to an arming point at the top of the forearm so any advice on sewing on the leather tabs would be good.

Konstantin the Red · Post by **Konstantin the Red** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 12:12 am

Build it like a lightly padded cotehardie. Grands-assiÃ¨tes sleeves are a good detail and it turns out they are functional too, giving immense freedom to the arms. The cotehardie that teaches us how to do this is the Charles de Blois, c. 1360 I think, conserved in the MusÃ©e des Tissus.

One good recipe for this garment is found in TOMAR, Chapter 25, and there are patterns about the Charles de Blois so-called pourpoint in some few places on the net.

If you'd rather use some other pattern, well, I don't really know anything specific to tell you. It really seems to be that what was worn under armor was a suitably lightly padded edition of the fashionable menswear of the time.

For the points, I would adopt the method of lacing them all the way through the layers of the sleeve by means of eyelets set in pairs about an inch apart, so the entire strength of the cloth is helping hold the point against the load of the armor piece. Are you using German arms, with separate rerebrace, couter, and vambrace -- though this system is more 15th-c. than 14th? Locate the eyelets to pass the point's midpart through up pretty high -- a little higher than you think you need them.

Andrew McKinnon · Post by **Andrew McKinnon** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 12:48 am

No I have a floating rerebrace, couter and enclosed vambrace as per d'aubernon harness. I was looking for something like this (large image with green aketon poking out from surcoat/joupon:

I was hoping to find an actual pattern to get one made for me.
Thanks for the info though =).

RandallMoffett · Post by **RandallMoffett** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 1:37 am

I'd look at the charles vi personally for 1350. It may be late 14th in date but effigies and art are awash with them. The charles de Blois is nice and all but the charles vi jupon was a military garment.

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/ufarm/ufarm_3.htm

It likely was warn like this from what I gather.

http://www.myarmoury.com/view.html?feat ... lted10.jpg

http://www.myarmoury.com/view.html?feat ... lted14.jpg

RPM

James B. · Post by **James B.** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 9:27 am

Military fashion and civilian fashion seem to follow one another. I would not do a Charles de Blois for the 1350s; it was cutting edge in the 1360s maybe the mid 1360 as some think he died (10/29/1364) before wearing it.

The cotehardie or pourpoint which ever you like to call it seems to be a new fashion in the 1350s; most art before then seem to depict tunics. The fit in the 1350s seems to be tight on the upper body but becoming loose at the hips and the bottom looks kind of like a skirt. The sleeves are set in at the top but fairly straight fitting.

I am going to attach an image from a 1350s bible that shows mean wearing the type of cotehardie/pourpoint I mean

Greyholt · Post by **Greyholt** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 8:16 pm

Guillaume,

What book is that pic from?

Thanks.

Greyholt.........................

Strongbow · Post by **Strongbow** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 8:30 pm

James is right... you essentially want a cotehardie that is tight fitting int eh upper body and full below the hips. This will do two things fro you:

1) Less bulk under your armour,

2) Allow a more tailored sleeve.

Int eh abscence of tha grand aisette sleeve, you'll want a well tailored armhole.

You can either lightly pad it (1 layer of cotton batting) or just make it like 4 layers thick of linen.

Andrew McKinnon · Post by **Andrew McKinnon** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 8:41 pm

What book is that pic from?

Hi Greyholt,

It is from Osprey English Medieval Knight 1300-1400.

Johann Lederer · Post by **Johann Lederer** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 8:50 pm

I was lucky enough to get mine from Gmandragora, here on the archive. But, here are some of the web pages I found before I ordered mine from him:
http://www.geocities.com/wolfram_von_ta ... rpoint.htm
http://people.cornell.edu/pages/ms154/A ... sembly.htm
http://www.theweebsite.com/cotelande/ai ... index.html

Konstantin the Red · Post by **Konstantin the Red** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 9:08 pm

Line drawing of the d'Aubernoun funeral brass the Osprey pic is based on, w/commentary From Monumental Brasses and Slabs: An Historical and Descriptive Notice, by Boutell.

The site doesn't want to read a URL for me this evening and make a link, and the GoogleBooks that gave me the best pic from Boutell was annoyingly long. Someday I'll get tinyurl.com to work for me.

John d'Aubernoun, obit 1279 AD, Stoke d'Aubernoun, Surrey UK.

http://www.google.com/search?q=John++d% ... rt=10&sa=N

Dierick · Post by **Dierick** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 9:28 pm

god all of this is so confusing. I've been fighting with myself over what would be more correct for first quarter 15th century dutchman in prague and settled on the cotehardie for under my armour but houppelande for civilian wear(since it seems to have come from flemish styles). Now I find out that there are different types of military cotehardies literally hours after I started cutting out and hand sewing the arms for a de blois to wear under my armour... ahhh!

Greyholt · Post by **Greyholt** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 9:59 pm

Guillaume, thanks.

Greyholt.........................