Tapestry with Head of a Woman in a Hennin

Expand

IIIFView PDF

Tapestry with Head of a Woman in a Hennin

Place of OriginFlanders

DateEarly to Late 15th century

Dimensions26 1/4 x 35 1/4 in.

MediumWarps: Wool; Wefts: Wool and Silk

ClassificationTextiles and Fiber

Credit LineMuseum Purchase (?)

Object number

1941.27

Not on View

DescriptionThe tapestry fragment is a bust of a woman in a hennin wearing a houppelande. She is set against a millefleur background and the tapestry is framed with red galons. A traditional tapestry is woven in a tapestry (plain) weave where the wefts are packed tightly against each other hiding the warps. When looking at the composition, the tapestry is woven with plied wool yarn warps (two yarns, Z twist) running horizontally and single wooly wefts yarn vertically. This is the most structurally stable direction for a tapestry, allowing the weave structure to counteract the force of gravity. This is a slit tapestry with some small areas, particularly seen in the floral elements, of dovetailing, allowing the color changes to take on a more feathered-like appearance. Double interlocking is seen in restored/rewoven areas. This work uses the slit weaving technique to its advantage, utilizing the openings to shape subtle outlines seen in the face to accentuate the eyes, eyebrows and other facial features. A technique called hachure has been used to create shading. (Hachure that uses tongues of one color that pierce another color field creating a tonal effect. Hachure is also referred to as hatching.) The top and bottom galons (border weaving) also have this effect. This is tapestry fragment depicts a woman dressed in a houppelande and a pointed hennin with a fine linen veil. She is set against a millefleur (million flowers) background, a popular motif of the late 15th and early 16th century tapestries. The pointed hennin suggests that this woman is French, Franco-Burgundian or Franco-Flemish. Pointed hennins were a Franco-Burgundian style whereas a truncated hennin was more commonly worn in other parts of Europe. Pointed headdresses are generally from the late 15th century and not the Middle Ages as commonly thought. The woman is dressed in a houppelande, a surcoat with a high neckline typically worn by both men and women. The houppelande along with plucking of the hairline and pointed hennin accentuate the look of a distended stomach and elongated torso and neck, creating the ideal female form of the 15th century. The folds in the fabric and the gathered waist of the houppelande suggest a more fitted silhouette popular in the second half of the 15th century. Garment analysis suggests that this tapestry may be more closely dated to ca. 1460 rather than 1420 as documented. However, the length of weaving time should be considered. The dress and jewelry of the figure clearly denote a woman of nobility and status. This date is also consistent with the use of a disparate millefleur background, as millefleur became very dense by the beginning of the 16th century.