PATCHWORK AND QUILTING DURING THE MIDDLE AGES
In the early days of Christianity the various organizations of the
mother church took a deep interest in all the textile arts, and we are
indebted to the ecclesiastical orders for what progress was made in
needlework during the beginning of the Middle Ages. The makers of
church hangings and vestments were stimulated by thoughts of the
spiritual blessings with which they were assured their work would be
rewarded. Much of this early ecclesiastic needlework is extremely
elaborate and was always eagerly desired by the holy orders. At one
time the craze for gorgeous vestments reached such an extreme that we
have record of one worthy bishop chiding his priests because they
"carried their religion on their backs instead of in their hearts."
[Illustration: MODERN EGYPTIAN PATCHWORK
Panels for wall decoration]
[Illustration: DOUBLE NINE PATCH
Made in Ohio in 1808. Colours: blue and white, and
beautifully quilted]
The artistic needlework of the Christian era consists almost
entirely of embroidery; no positive reference to patchwork or quilting
being found in western Europe prior to the time of the Crusades. But
with this great movement, thousands of the most intelligent men in
Europe, urged by religious enthusiasm combined with love of adventure,
forced their way into eastern countries whose culture and refinements
of living far surpassed their own. The luxuries which they found in
Syria were eagerly seized and carried home to all the western lands.
Returning Crusaders exhibited fine stuffs of every description that
roused the envy of all who obtained a glimpse of them. A vigorous
commerce with the east was immediately stimulated. From Syria
merchants brought into Italy, Spain, and France silks and cottons to
supplement the native linen and wool, and also many kinds of
embroidered work of a quality much finer than ever known before. As a
result dyeing, weaving, and needlework entered on an era of great
development.
Previous to the eleventh century so memorable in the history of the
Crusaders, references to quilting and patchwork are few and uncertain,
but from that time on these twin arts became more and more conspicuous
in the needlecraft of nearly every country in western Europe. This is
explained by the stimulus which was given to these arts by the
specimens of appliqué hangings and garments brought from Syria, where
the natives wrought for centuries the identical applied work carried
into Palestine from Egypt in Biblical times by the Hebrews and the
Phoenicians.
About the earliest applied work of which we have record were the
armorial bearings of the Crusaders. A little later came rather
elaborate designs applied to their cloaks and banners. Among other
specimens of Old English needlework is a piece of applied work at
Stonyhurst College depicting a knight on horseback. That this knight
represents a Crusader is beyond question since the cross, the insignia
of the cause, is a prominent figure in the ornamentation of the
knight's helmet and shield, and is also prominent on the blanket on
the horse.
Noticeable progress in the arts of both quilting and appliqué was made
during the Middle Ages in Spain. Spanish women have always been noted
for their cleverness with the needle, and quite a few of the stitches
now in use are credited to them. At the time of King Ferdinand and
Queen Isabella, applied work had long been known. Whether it
developed from imitating garments brought home by the returning
Crusaders, or was adopted from the Moors, who gave the best of their
arts to Spain during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, cannot
be positively stated. However, it is worthy of notice that whenever
the Christian came in contact with the Moor, a great advance in the
textile arts of the former could generally be observed. This holds
true even down to this day, our eagerness to possess the rugs of
Turkey and Afghanistan, and the imitation of these designs in the
manufacture of domestic carpets, being a case in point.
During the reign of King Philip II, 1527-1598, the grandees of the
Spanish court wore beautifully wrought garments, rich with applied
work and embroidery. A sixteenth-century hanging of silk and velvet
appliqué, now preserved in Madrid, is typical of the best Spanish
work. It is described as having a gray-green silk foundation, on which
are applied small white silk designs outlined with yellow cord;
alternating with the green silk are bands of dark red velvet with
ornamented designs cut from the green silk, and upon which are small
pieces of white silk representing berries. Also, another handsome
specimen of Spanish applied work of the seventeenth century is a linen
curtain richly embellished with heraldic emblems couched with gold
thread. Horse trappings and reposters, loaded with appliqué flowers
cut from gold and silver cloth, were much in evidence among the
Spanish nobility of this period.
Of particular interest, as showing how oriental quilting designs
filtered into Europe through the intercourse of the early Portuguese
traders and missionaries with the East Indies, is the brief mention by
Margaret S. Burton of a very elaborate old quilt now in a New York
collection: "My next find was a tremendous bed quilt which is used as
a portière for double folding doors. It formed part of a collection of
hangings owned by the late Stanford White. He claimed there were only
four of its kind in existence, and this the only one in America. It is
valued at $1,000. It is a Portuguese bed quilt and was embroidered
centuries ago by the Portuguese missionary monks sent to India. They
were commissioned by their queen to embroider them for her to present
as wedding gifts to her favourite ladies-in-waiting." On account of
intricacy and originality of design this quilt represents years of
patient work. It is hand embroidered in golden coloured floss upon a
loosely woven linen which had been previously quilted very closely.
The work is in chain stitch, and there are at least fifty different
stitch patterns. In the centre panel is the sacred cat of India. Doves
bearing olive branches, pomegranates, daisies, and passion flowers are
intermingled in the beautiful design.
[Illustration: PIECED BASKETS
A design much used by the old-time quilt makers. This
quilt, which is about 85 years old, is unusual, in that
the baskets are so small]
[Illustration: INTERIOR OF BEDROOM
Cochran residence, Deerfield, Mass., showing colonial
bedstead with quilt and canopy]
While the uses of patchwork were known over Europe long before the
Renaissance, some credit its introduction, into Italy at least, to the
Florentine painter, Botticelli (1446-1510). The applied work, or
"thought work," of the Armenians so appealed to him that he used it on
hangings for church decoration. Under his influence the use of the
applied work, _opus conservetum_, for chapel curtains and draperies
was greatly extended. In time these simple patchwork hangings were
supplanted by the mural paintings and tapestries now so famous. There
are still in existence some rare pieces of Italian needlework of the
sixteenth century having designs of fine lace interspersed among the
embroidered appliqué of silk.
A homely cousin of the gorgeous _opus conservetum_, which has filled
its useful though humble office down to the present day, is the heavy
quilted and padded leather curtain used in many Italian churches in
lieu of a door. Many of the church doors are too massive and
cumbersome to be opened readily by the entering worshippers, so they
are left constantly open. Leather hangings often several inches thick
and quilted with rows of horizontal stitches rather widely spaced, are
hung before the open doorways. Even these curtains are often quite
stiff and unyielding, so that holding back corners for the passage of
both worshipper and tourist forms a favourite occupation for numerous
beggars.
Appliqué, described as _opus consutum_, or cut work, was made in
Florence and Venice, chiefly for ecclesiastical purposes, during the
height of their glory in the fifteenth century. One such piece of
Florentine cut work is remarkable for its great beauty and the skill
shown in bringing together both weaving and embroidery. "Much of the
architectural accessories is loom wrought, while the extremities of
the evangelists are all done by the needle; but the head, neck, and
long beard are worked by themselves upon very fine linen, and
afterward put together in such a way that the full white beard
overlaps the tunics.... For the sake of expedition, all the figures
were sometimes at once shaped out of woven silk, satin, velvet, linen,
or woollen cloth, and sewed upon the grounding of the article....
Sometimes the cut work done in this way is framed, as it were, with an
edging either in plain or gilt leather, hempen or silken cord, like
the leadings of a stained-glass window." Gold and silver starlike
flowers, sewn on appliqué embroideries, were common to Venice and also
southern Germany in the fifteenth century.
Belonging to the Italian Renaissance period are some marvellous
panels, once part of a curtain, which are now preserved in the South
Kensington Museum in London. The foundation of these panels is of
beautiful blue damask having applied designs cut from yellow satin.
These hangings are described as being very rich in effect and
unusually handsome, and nothing in the annals of needlework of their
period was more glorious.
A very ingenious patchwork, originating in Italy during the sixteenth
century and peculiar to that country and Spain, consisted of patterns
designed so as to be counter hanging. For example, if one section of a
length of such patchwork consisted of a blue satin pattern on a yellow
velvet ground, the adjoining section would, through the interchange of
materials, consist of a yellow velvet pattern on a blue satin ground.
The joints of the patching were overlaid with cord or gimp, stitched
down so as to conceal them entirely and give definition to the forms
constituting the pattern.
Italian needleworkers were very fond of this "transposed appliqué upon
two fabrics," especially when composed of designs of foliage
conventionally treated, or of arabesques and scrolls. On a piece of
old Milanese damask, figured with violet on violet, appear designs in
appliqué cut from two shades of yellow satin. These are remarkable for
their powerful relief, suggesting sculpture rather than embroidery,
and have been pronounced worthy of the best masters of their
time--namely, that period so rich in suggestions of ornament--the
seventeenth century.
[Illustration: THE BEDTIME QUILT
With its procession of night-clad children will be
excellent "company" for a tot, to whom a story may be
told of the birds that sleep in the little trees while
the friendly stars keep watch]
Closely related to patchwork, but not as commonly used, is "inlay." In
the making of this style of decoration one material is not laid on to
another, but into it. It is the fitting together of small sections
of any desired fabric in a prearranged design. For convenience, all
the pieces are placed upon a foundation of sufficient firmness, but
which does not appear when the work is finished. Ornamental stitches
conceal the seams where the edges meet, and it is especially adapted
for making heraldic devices. During the Renaissance it was much used
by both Spaniards and Italians, who learned the art from the Moors.
An example of quilting, attributed to the Island of Sicily about the
year 1400, is described as being a ground of buff-coloured linen. The
raised effect is obtained by an interpadding of wool, and the designs
are outlined in brown thread. This entire coverlet is embroidered with
scenes from the life of Tristan, who frequently engaged in battle
against King Langair, the oppressor of his country. This bit of
quilting hangs in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Another
hanging of the fourteenth century, belonging to the same collection,
shows a spirited naval battle between galleys. A striking peculiarity
of this hanging is that floral designs are scattered in great
profusion among the boats of the combatants.
A patchwork made by the application of bits of leather to velvet was
extensively used in some European countries during the Middle Ages. As
leather did not fray and needed no sewing over at the edge, but only
sewing down, stitching well within the edge gave the effect of a
double outline. This combination of leather and velvet was introduced
from Morocco. A wonderful tent of this leather patchwork, belonging to
the French king, François I, was taken by the Spanish at the battle of
Pavia (1525), and is still preserved in the armoury at Madrid.
Some of the very finest specimens of the quilting of the Middle Ages
have been preserved for us in Persia. Here the art, borrowed at a very
early period from the Arabs, was developed in an unusual and typically
oriental manner. Prayer rugs, carpets, and draperies of linen, silk,
and satin were among the products of the Persian quilters.
We are indebted to Mr. Alan S. Cole for the following description of a
seventeenth-century Persian quilted bath carpet, now preserved at the
South Kensington Museum in London. "This typical Persian embroidery is
a linen prayer or bath carpet, the bordering or outer design of which
partly takes the shape of the favourite Persian architectural niche
filled in with such delicate scrolling stem ornament as is so lavishly
used in that monument of sixteenth-century Mohammedan art, the Taj
Mahal at Agra. In the centre of the carpet beneath the niche form is a
thickly blossoming shrub, laid out on a strictly geometric or formal
plan, but nevertheless depicted with a fairly close approach to the
actual appearance of bunches of blossoms and of leaves in nature. But
the regular and corresponding curves of the stems, and the ordered
recurrence of the blossom bunches, give greater importance to
ornamental character than to any intention of giving a picture of a
tree. Similar stems, blossoms, and leaves are still more formally and
ornamentally adapted in the border of the carpet, and to fill in the
space between the border and the niche shape. The embroidery is of
chain stitch with white, yellow, green, and red silks. But before this
embroidery was taken in hand the whole of the linen was minutely
stitched."
Worthy of mention is a patchwork panel made in Resht, Persia, in the
eighteenth century: "The foundation ground is of ivory coloured cloth,
and applied to it, almost entirely covering the ivory background, are
designs cut from crimson, cinnamon, pink, black, turquoise, and
sapphire coloured cloths, all richly embroidered in marigold and green
silk."
The following is a quilt anecdote, typically oriental, which contains
a bit of true philosophy. It seems that the hero, Nass-ed-Din Hodja,
was a Turkish person who became chief jester to the terrible Tamerlane
during his invasion of Asia Minor. He was also the hero, real or
imaginary, of many other stories which originated during the close of
the fourteenth and the beginning of the fifteenth centuries. His tomb
is still shown at Akshekir. The story is given entire as it appeared
in "Turkey of the Ottoman" by L. M. Garnett:
HOW THE HODJA LOST HIS QUILT
"One winter's night, when the Hodja and his wife were
snugly asleep, two men began to quarrel and fight under
the window. Both drew knives and the dispute threatened
to become serious. Hearing the noise, the Hodja's wife
got up, looked out of the window and, seeing the state
of affairs, woke her husband, saying: 'Great heavens,
get up and separate them or they will kill each other.'
But the Hodja only answered sleepily: 'Wife, dear,
come to bed again; on my faith there are no men in the
world; I wish to be quiet; it is a winter's night. I am
an old man, and perhaps if I went out they might beat
me.' The Hodja's wife was a wise woman. She kissed his
hands and his feet. The Hodja was cross and scolded her,
but he threw the quilt about him, went downstairs and
out to where the disputants were, and said to them: 'For
the sake of my white beard cease, my sons, your strife.'
The men, in reply, pulled the quilt from the Hodja's
shoulders and made off with it. 'Very well,' observed
the old man. He reëntered, locked the door, and went
upstairs. Said his wife: 'You did very well to go out to
those men. Have they left off quarrelling?' 'They have,'
replied the Hodja. 'What were they quarrelling about,
Hodja?' 'Fool,' replied the Hodja, 'they were
quarrelling for my quilt. Henceforward my motto shall
be, "Beware of serpents."'"
[Illustration: JACOB'S LADDER
One of the most striking of the quilts having Biblical
names. Colours: blue and white]
[Illustration: CONVENTIONAL TULIP
Made in Ohio about 1840. Beautifully quilted in
medallions and pineapples of original design. Colors:
red, pink, and green]
Appliqué, or applied work, has never been used in France to the same
extent as in England, even though the French name "appliqué" is more
frequently used than any other. However, there is one striking example
of appliqué work, of Rhenish or French origin, now hanging in the
Victoria and Albert Museum in London. This realistic patchwork
represents a fight between an armoured knight mounted on a
high-stepping white horse and a ferocious dragon. The designs are
arranged in a fashion similar to the blocks in a modern quilt, and
depict several scenes showing the progress of the combat. There is
also a border covered closely with figures of monks, knights, and
ladies.
An extract from "First Steps in Collecting," by Grace M. Vallois,
gives an interesting glimpse of an old French attic. An object of
great interest to us is the old, unfinished quilt she discovered
there: "A rummaging expedition in a French _grenier_ yields more
treasures than one taken in an English lumber room. The French are
more conservative; they dislike change and never throw away anything.
Among valuable antiques found in the _grenier_ of a Louis XV house in
the Pyrenees were some rare curtains of white linen ornamented with
designs cut from beautiful old chintz; the edges of the applied
designs were covered with tightly twisted cotton cord. Also, in the
same room, in a drawer of an old chestnut-wood bureau, was found an
unfinished bed quilt very curiously worked. It was of linen with a
filling of rather soft cotton cord about an eighth of an inch wide.
These cords were held in place by rows of minute stitching of white
silk, making the bedcover almost solid needlework. Besides the
quilting there were at rather wide intervals conventional flowers in
peacock shades of blue and green silk executed in chain stitch. When
found, the needle was still sticking in one of the flowers, and many
were traced ready for work. The traced lines appear to have been made
with India ink and were very clear and delicate. What caused the
abrupt interruption of the old quilt no one can tell. It is possible
that the great terror of 1793 caused the patient maker to flee from
her unfinished task."
In the countries of northern Europe there is scarcely any record
concerning the art of quilting and patchwork, and little can be said
beyond the fact that both existed in some form or other. In Germany
the quilt so familiar to us is practically unknown. In the past
appliqué was very little used, except as cut work, or _opus consutum_,
in blazonments and heraldic devices. The thick feather beds of
medieval Germany were covered with various kinds of thick comforts
filled with either wool or feathers, and sometimes sparsely quilted.
The only decoration of the comfort consisted of a band of ornamental
work, ten to twenty inches wide, usually worked in cross-stitch design
with brightly coloured yarns. These bands were generally loose upon
the comfort, one edge being held down by the pillow, but occasionally
they were sewed to the edge of the bedcover.
In a work on arts and crafts relating to their presence in Sweden, it
is written that "woven hangings were used to decorate the timbered
walls of the halls of the vikings. They were hung over the temples,
and they decorated the timber sepulchres of the dead. When the
timbered grave of the Danish queen, Fyra Danabode, who died about 950,
was opened, remains of woven woollen cloth were found." As far back as
Swedish records go it can be shown that Swedish women wove and sewed
figured material.
[Illustration: FINE EXAMPLE OF OLD GERMAN APPLIQUÉ
Now in the Metropolitan Museum, New York]
[Illustration: DOUBLE X
A modern quilt. Colours: blue and white]
On account of the cold there is urgent need of wall hangings, and they
are used extensively throughout Scandinavia. On festive occasions the
stiff, cold appearance of Swedish peasants' homes is transformed by
the gay wall coverings to one of hospitality and warmth. The hangings
used are made of linen, either painted or embroidered in bright
colours. The painted ones are especially interesting as they depict
many historical scenes. Allegorical and religious subjects are also
used to decorate many of these linen hangings. The Swedes are very
patriotic, and on their wall hangings show all the saints clad in
typical Swedish costumes. The apostles wear Swedish jack boots, loose
collars, and pea jackets; and Joseph, as governor of Egypt, is shown
wearing a three-cornered hat and smoking a pipe.
There is a valuable collection of Swedish needlework in the Northern
Museum of Stockholm, dating from 1639 to the nineteenth century. Among
this collection there are a few small pieces of applied work: some
cushions, glove gauntlets, and a woman's handbag. It is possible that
patchwork was used more extensively than the museum's display would
indicate, but since large pieces are very rarely found, patchwork was
evidently not held in the same esteem as embroidery and painting.