14th century clothing - gold/silver/pearls/bezant help.

[Kit Houston]

Dear all,

I’m currently in the process of revamping our 1400 soft kit.

We are looking at making new very fine clothing with no expense spared.

I ‘want’ to decorate the clothing with Ermine fur, gold and silver beads, bezant and salt/fresh water pearls.

I also ‘want’ to get some embroidery done around the edging.

I ‘want’ this for both male and female clothing.

Now how do I make it historical with references for around 1390-1410?

I know I can use the ermine, the pearls and the bezant but what about gold and silver beads?

Can they all be used for both male and female?

Thank you all for you ongoing help.

[Derian le Breton]

Here's a decent source for bezant images:

http://medievalbeads.com/content/view/24/61/

Note that some of the bits there are actually bracteats, which were very thin, one-sided silver coins. Bezants are typically gold (hence the name.)

-Donasian.

[Klaus the Red]

It's a little past your target period, but some of the aristocrats in the Devonshire Hunting Tapestries (1430-50) have houppelandes or coats decorated with areas of round or leaf-shaped gold pendants on the sleeves or shoulders.

K

[Tailoress]

May I ask, why ermine? It was traditionally powdered wtih the black-tipped tails, signifying royalty. Why not the more common and yet extremely status-granting gris -- the light blue-ish grey fur of the Russian squirrel during winter? This was still in strong use by the nobility at the turn of the 15th century, though it did wane sharply as that century progressed.

Do you have:
The English Fur Trade in the Later Middle Ages: London Record Society Publication
by Elspeth M. Veale
Hardcover, London Record Society, ISBN 0900952385 (0-900952-38-5)

This book is *excellent* and will give you extremely detailed data on exactly what furs were popular in England during the time you want to cover. Some of that can be extrapolated to the continent. She uses primary business records to glean the facts.

If you are sparing no expense, this distinctive fur can still be had through Russian sources, IIRC, though I've never tracked them down myself.

Or, if you wish to go with fine white fur without the black-tipped tails attached, perhaps call it lettice, which is snow weasel, rather than ermine.

-Tasha

[Kit Houston]

Thanks for the response.

I have taken on board what has been said.

Decorations, Bells and balls of gold and silver on clothing like the trimming on garments in Duke de berry?

Anyone got any 1400 reference to this?

kit

[Karen Larsdatter]

For bells, there's the Squire in the Ellesmere manuscript of the Canterbury Tales (c. 1410), and Lijsbeth van Duvenvoorde (c. 1430). Both are also in decorated textiles.

[Kit Houston]

Thank you.

kit