These are kind of fun, 6 postcards depicting medieval clothing, recreated by Patrick Dallanégra who specializes in historical artwork. I found these cards in the gift shop at Sainte Chapelle in Paris, France during our visit there last October. Even though this post is longer than most, I felt that all 6 cards should be shown together. The artist has identified parts of each costume and on the reverse of each card has included a brief statement or notes about the picture.
The card above shows a knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre from the 12th century. Parts of his attire are labeled in French but I will attempt to give English equivalents. The Camail means hackle. Hackle generally refers to the feathers on the nape of the neck of a bird and became a term for a feather attached to the hat or neck piece of a uniform. As can be seen from the illustration there is no feather at the nape of the neck and the material appears to be a continuation of chain mail that covers the knight’s head, arms and legs. The Surcot is the sleeveless white overcoat with the symbol of the Holy Order of the Sepulchure. The design has 5 crosses representing the 5 wounds that Christ received and the red color is for his blood. The epee is the sword and the fourreau et baudrier is the sheath and belt for the sword. Chausse et solier de mailes refers to the mesh shoes that also have eperon antique or 12th century spurs.
The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre is a Roman Catholic order of knighthood under the protection of the Holy See with the Pope as the sovereign of the Order. It was founded at approximately the time of the First Crusade around 1099 and officially recognized by Papal bull in 1122. Originally these armed knights, both religious and secular, adhered to vows of poverty and obedience and were chosen from the crusader troops. The primary responsibility was to defend the holy places including the Holy Sepulchre and support the Christian presence in the Holy Land. Since 1949 the Grand Masters have been Cardinals. There are several grades of knighthood and are open to both men and women. Today there are about 30,000 knights and dames found around the world.
The artist notes add that the order was governed by the rule of St. Augustine and dealt with the redemption of the Frankish prisoners and the guard of the tomb of Christ.
This second postcard shows a member of the Order Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem also known variously as the Order of Saint John, Order of Hospitallers, and Knights Hospitaller. It is another order in the Roman Catholic Church that existed from medieval times as a military order. Gerard Thom founded the order around 1023 to provide care for the sick, poor and injured pilgrims arriving in the Holy Land. The Knights Templar and the Hospitallers built many of the fortifications in the Holy Land. The artist notes add that Raymond du Pury made it an order of chivalry in the 13th century.
The knight is shown wearing a 12th century conical headpiece with a large nose covering, a hauberk or long shirt of mail, that in this case falls below the knee, and mail that covers his throat and lower face. He is has a black coat or cloak with a white cross, a thong belt that holds the scabbard for his sword, his shoes are mesh with spurs. The shield has the sign of the order, red with a large white cross. The cross has eight silver spikes with four visible on the illustration. The cross on the black shield at the upper right of the card is a Rhodian Cross dating from the Siege of Rhodes in 1480 and was worn by senior knights. Pope Innocent IV (1243-1254) approved a standard military dress of a red surcot or long sleeveless coat with a white cross on it for the Hospitallers to be worn during battles. The surcot would allow more freedom of movement than the black coat or cloak shown on the card.
King and Saint, Louis IX (1214-1270) is shown wearing an azure armored (padded) coat with golden lily flowers and red lining over a mail hauberk that extends to about knee length. He has a metal helm or helmet with small breathing holes and a narrow slit to look out. I think it must have been very hot and uncomfortable. He has metal greaves on his shins, a belt and a sling for the scabbard for his sword. His shield is held on his back with a third belt. He has mesh shoes and spurs with wheels on his feet.
Louis IX of France was also known as Saint Louis. He was merciful to those who repented but some of his punishments for sins such as blasphemy, gambling, usury, and prostitution would be considered barbaric. On the other hand he was renown for his charity and was said to have fed beggars from his own table, ministered to the wants of lepers, and daily fed over 100 poor people. Often he served the poor himself. A devoted, religious man he spent vast sums of money on relics of Christ and built the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris to house them.
Louis left his duties as king to fulfill his obligations as a son of the Church and went on two crusades, the 7th in 1248 when he was in his mid-30s, and the 8th in 1270 when he was in his mid-50s. He was captured during his first crusade and freed with a ransom sum of 400,000 livres tournois or about ¼ of the annual revenue of France. He died in Tunis in 1270 while on his second crusade as a result of a disease epidemic that had broken out in the camp. His bones were carried back to France and were interred in the royal necropolis at Saint-Denis in 1271. He was married to Margaret of Provence and they had eleven children including two who died in infancy. His son, Philip III became king upon the death of his father. Louis IX was proclaimed canonized in 1297 by Pope Boniface VIII. He is the only French king to be named a saint.
Artist notes on this card refer to the king as a diplomat who developed royal justice. He is the 9th king of the House of Capet.
The 14th century woman’s costume on the card above shows the woman wearing a horned head covering with a veil. The rather strange, to us, hairstyle under the veil has the hair tightly wound into two horn shapes. All married women of this period would have worn some type of head covering. She is wearing a fur trimmed vest-like garment decorated with jewels, a plate belt, the cuffs at her wrists may have some metal, and a double open cloak or coat fastened with a chain. The cloak extends from her shoulders to her feet.
The artist notes say that this type of clothing was worn from the 12th to the 15th centuries. It was reserved for noble ladies and worn during festivals and ceremonies.
During the 13th and 14th centuries buttons were widely used as fasteners on snug-fitting garments such as the one shown on the card above. If you look closely you may be able to see the buttons at the wrist of the sleeves. More noticeable buttons are found going down the middle of the dress. She has bands of cloth or metal at the elbows, and embroidery and appliqués with gold thread and material. The belt falls below the waistline and appears to have silver decorations. She has a ribbon in her hair but no veil, suggesting that she is an unmarried woman. Her hair is coiled on each side around the ears reminiscent of the Princess Leia style we saw on an earlier Thursday postcard.
The artist notes point out the wide neckline and mentions that it was fashionable in large families to wear embroidered or appliqued weapons on the clothing as is seen on the red side of the dress. The notes also say that buttons were a novelty on women's clothing.
This last postcard shows a dress from the 15th century. The cap is described as having butterfly wings on a conical bevel. It looks like the type of hat usually associated with fairy tale princesses. The dress has a fur collar and fur trim at the cuffs and the hem. Her belt is silk, the dress is made of velvet. Many early clothes were lined with fur, mostly squirrel fur, for warmth. Since there was no central heating and the stone buildings were often drafty and cold with only a fireplace or brazier to heat the rooms, fur lined garments would be desirable.
The artist notes on this dress point out that the triangular piece that hides a deep neckline is what gives the dress its name. The long train and high waist were typical of the first half of the 15th century.
For additional information, see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_the_Holy_Sepulchre
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_Hospitaller
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_IX_of_France
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Button
Also, to see more artwork by Patrick Dallanégra, see:
http://www.patrickdallanegra.fr/entree.htm
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