I'm having a bit of a dilemma with a miniature from the Elisabethpsalter, a manuscript collection which was essentially a personal devotional, perhaps best equated as an early Book of Hours. It's reasonable that the book comes from the second decade of the thirteenth century, having been known as the property of Sophie of Thuringia, the second wife of Hermann I of Thuringia (d. 1217). It was passed to their daughter Elisabeth, hence its current name.
Be that as it may, an image from it depicting the Captivity of the Jews shows two men-at-arms flanking a kingly figure. These two soldiers wear an early form of gamboised cuisse, which is not unreasonable for the period, although very new in illustration. The topfhelm on the right-hand figure reflects a style likely to have been dominating during the opening decades of the century, with a stout shape and bulbous face guard, comparable to those depicted on the Silver Shrine of Charlemagne, c. 1207. Due to these details, it seems reasonable to suspect the image was drawn in the 1210s.
The confusing issue for me, and one which I'd like opinions about, is the depiction of the coifs as they hang on the neck in a rectangular shape. The earliest representation I've seen of this style with any confirmed date is a statue of St. Maurice from the Cathedral of St. Maurice and St. Catherine in Magdeburg, Germany. It is dated to c. 1250 by experts. This puts the illustration showing such a phenomenon at least 30 years prior to its otherwise being known! I'm confounded... Considering the detail of the rest of the illustration and the general detail and context throughout the rest of the document, a deal of which I've perused, the artists certainly were very specific in their depictions. Does anyone have any other logical interpretation of why these coifs appear rectangular? I would appreciate feedback... Especially before I go snipping my coif to ribbons. Thanks! 0.o
-Gerhard
