13th Century: Ciborium/Ziborium (Host Box)

Beaded container for the Holy Host
Second half of the 13th Century, Schnutgen Museum, Köln (Cologne) Germany

In german: Ziborium mit perlstickerei, Niedersachen, 2, Halfte 13 JH

Wooden core, embroidery with glass beads, freshwater pearls, and metal bead appliqué on parchment. H. 29.5 cm, Dia. 10 cm (Inv. N 42)

This precious and extremely rare vessel of extraordinary artistic quality was created to store the consecrated host for the Eucharist. The utilisation of different materials in this ciborium, originally from Hildesheim Cathedral, is particularly exceptional. Parchment is wrapped over the wooden core in the shape of a chalice, which is closed with a lid, and the object is entirely adorned with freshwater pearls and glass beads as well as metal appliqués. Various scenes from the history of salvation are depicted against a blue background: the Annunciation, the Crucifixion with Mary and John, and the Coronation of the Virgin by Christ can be seen in medallions on the body of the ciborium. Symbols of the four evangelists adorn the lower part of the chalice and white lilies its base. Scenes from the Passion are embroidered on the cone-shaped lid: the Flagellation and the Carrying of the Cross. A gilded cross crowns the entire vessel.

Kleinschmidt and later von Bock mentioned the ciborium in connection with a portable altar from the church treasury of St. Paul’s Cathedral in Münster, whose side walls are adorned with technically as well as stylistically similar pearl embroidery. According to von Bock, “the style and technique of the embroidery [demonstrate] the earliest phase of glass beads embroidery, which before the 13th century does not evidence figural representation filling the entire space”. She dated the ciborium and the portable altar to the second half of the 13th century (von Bock, p. 288). Witte referred to an antependium from the church treasury of Halberstadt Cathedral with several medallions embroidered with true pearls, dated to 1200, together with the ciborium from the Museum Schnütgen, as persuasive examples of “evidence for the very invention of pearl embroidery” (Witte, p. 1). Von Euw likewise dated the liturgical vessel to the second half of the 13th century and located it in Lower Saxony (Hildesheim?).

Sporbeck followed this attribution both chronologically and geographically (Sporbeck, p. 18). Confirmation of this attribution is supplied by a container for the host, which has a similar blue background and is from Lower Saxony, from the church treasury of Halberstadt Cathedral, dated by Schorta to the second half of the 13th century (Meller/ Mundt/Schmuhl 2008, pp. 136-137, no. 37).

In 2011-2012 extensively cleaned and conserved in the Abegg-Stiftung, Riggisberg (CH).

Documented in the church treasury of Hildesheim Cathedral from the early 15th century; likely arrived after 1833 as part of the collection of the Hildesheim bishop Eduard Jakob Wedekin (1796-1870; see Roth); acquired in 1876 by Alexander Schnütgen from the collection in Hildesheim.

Cat. Kunsthistorische Ausstellung 1876, 58, no. 364 (A. Schnütgen) – Kleinschmidt 1903,332

– Witte 19116 – von Bock 1963, 287-288

– Cat. Schatzkammer 1991, 143-144, no. 42 (L. von Wilckens) – von Euw 1993b, 40-41 – Sporbeck 1996, 18-19

– Depierraz 2012, 10-11
– Roth 2018, 45-46, 61.

From: Museum Schnütgen in Cologne: A Survey of the Collection (2017) Edited by Moritz Woelk and Manuela Beer 

Some Color Pictures from “Stadt im Wandel: Kunst und Kultur des Bürgetums in Norddeutchland 1150-1650”

Some pictures from: https://www.bildindex.de/document/obj05071467?medium=rba_c005536
Some photos are copyright courtesy the most gracious Racaire at www.racaire.com

13th Century: Halberstadt Antependium

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Some pics below from: http://fraubevin.blogspot.com

17th Century: Hungarian wedding dress

WOMAN’S CORSET-BODICE AND SKIRT
Mid-17th Century
MAGYAR NEMZETI MÚZEUM
(Hungarian National Museum)
Budapest, Hungary

Earlier researches attributed the costume to Pál Esterházy’s (1635–1713) first wife Orsolya Esterházy (1641–1682) and later to his second wife Éva Thököly (1659–1716). The original owner can no longer be traced but the cut and the embroidery ascertain that either could have worn it at her wedding. Contrary to Western European customs, in Hungary later generations gladly donned the ornate costumes of their forebears on some festive occasion. The suite was restored by Mrs Sándor Borsi between 1969 and 1971.

The skirt and the attached bodice constitute an outstanding ensemble of old Hungarian costume, a harmonious alloy of the exotic oriental traditions of earlier centuries and elements of the fast-changing Western European fashions.

(Note from Jen: I’m going to guess the red beads are Coral, I have many such examples of coral beads from Germany in earlier centuries. I’m trying to find more on this.)

15th Century: Coral Chausable

Picture: Art Institute of Chicago

Chasuble, 1601/75

Silk, warp-float faced satin weave; underlaid with linen, plain weave; embroidered with linen, silk, gilt-metal strips, and gilt-metal-strip-wrapped silk in satin and split stitches; laid work, couching, padded couching; beaded with coral beads; edged with gilt-metal strip and gilt-metal-strip-wrapped silk, twill and plain weaves; lined with silk, plain weave
113.5 x 66.8 cm (44 5/8 x 26 1/4 in.)

 

13th Century: Orphrey


In some sources this pointed orphrey end is often paired with two bead saints heads, from the same museum since they are similar in time frame, and materials. Since they are not from the same piece I am seperating them.

All but the first picture were taken by myself, Jen Segrest.

13th Century: German Panels

On parchment with beads and seed pearls
German, 13th Century Blue glass, red coral, gold and seed pearls (most salvaged/looted) on parchment with linen thread.

The two detached pieces are in the V&A collection (the one with the more colorful halo) and the other (still attached to the edging) is in a museum in Germany.

The pair in the V&A appear for all intents and purposes to have been removed from the German piece and were sold in the late 40’s (war happens). I have worked up a comparison, they are as best I can deduce made by the same hand. You can find my notes on them here.

This selection of pictures is to compare contrast the  items as they they are assumed to have originated from the same piece.

While they are technically two different pieces, I have decided to  present them together as they are from the same work.


Beadwork, (Shire Album #57), by Pamela Clabur

“The american indians… here the beads are threaded and laid on the ground material. The attaching thread is quite separate and is brought up from below and catches down the thread between the two beads. this is in effect, a form of couching.” “Exactly the same method of attachment was used in the german beadwork of the 12th Century. Here it is combined with with the sewing on of single beads where the design required it, but it can be seen that are long strands of the same colours and only a very few single colors even in such detailed parts of the design as the faces. Six hundred years later the method was still being used”


Bead Embroidery By Joan Edwards.

“Long before needlewomen of the nineteenth century discovered the possibilities of beadwork, comparatively coarse beads had been used in various parts of Europe for embroidery for a very long time indeed. A great deal of work was done, for example, during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries in Lower Saxony, examples of which can be seen in Hanover and Darmstadt. The beads were usually attached to vellum, and it has been suggested that the existence of this beadwork might-like the German whitework or “opus teutonicum” of the Middle Ages-be interpreted as a sign of poverty amongst the German convents at this time, and that the beads were perhaps a substitute for work in pearls, precious metals, and the coveted Byzantine enamels. Nevertheless, the vestments and hangings must have gleamed with considerable beauty in the dark, candle lit cathedrals and churches, shining through the dimness like the stained glass in the windows, and there seems little doubt that the designs were good and well drawn.”