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c. 1400 Detail from monumental brass Unknown Civilian and Wife |
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c. 1400 Three Ladies. France or Bohemia additional detail: evanspl131c.jpg |
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c. 1400 Gavenbeeldjes From the tomb of Isabella of Bourbon. The statuettes are believed to be representative of family members. Unlike monumental brasses,these sculptures show seam lines. Note the shoulder/armhole seams and front opening. |
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c. 1400 Gavenbeeldjes From the tomb of Isabella of Bourbon. |
Jacopa della Quercia, c.1405 Ilaria del Carretto Though Italian, this houppelande displays the same characteristics of the others presented here. The headdress, however, is quite Italian! Note the interesting sleeve detail. Hunnisett discusses this gown and provides a drawing. |
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Detail from Monumental Brass, 1415 Joan Peryent Collar of underdress follows line of collar of overdress. Note full bishop sleeves of underdress. |
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Rogier van der Weydan, c. 1425-30 (Vos, p. 177) Detail from The Crucifixion The Magdalen wears a purple (velvet?) houppelande, lined with green over a red undergown. Her undersleeves are a gold/green patterned fabric. She appears to have a purse or some object hanging between her undergown and overgown. Her headdress is either elaborately wrapped or wrapped over a more fitted cap/wrapping. It is unclear from this reproduction whether the ends of her open houppelande sleeves are bound in black fabric or with the green of the lining fabric. |
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Jan van Eyck, 1432 (Dhanens, p. 99) Detail from the Ghent Altarpiece (Adoration of the Lamb) The loose rose wool houppelande (the color in this reproduction tends towards brown), lined with green, has large open sleeves that do not really show the sleeves of the undergown. The linen inner collar follows the lines of the houppelande neckline, though the artist has depicted it as rather askew! |
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Rogier van der Weydan, c. 1435 Web Gallery of Art Lady Wearing a Gauze Headdress Fur lined brown houppelande. (Jean Hunnisett uses this image as a basis for one of her patterns.) |
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Rogier van der Weyden, 1430-35 (Vos, p. 14) Detail from The Descent from the Cross Mary's supporter wears a green houppelande lined with gray fur. (Note the way the neckline is bound by the fur lining.) Her undergown is laced in the center front. |
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Rogier van der Weydan, c. 1438 (Campbell, p. 393) The Magdalen Reading (fragment of an altarpiece) The Magdalen wears a fur lined green houppelande over a gold underdress. According to Campbell her headdress is "recognizably different from those worn by contemporaries and which resemble the headdresses thought suitable for the Virgin and other women of biblical times." (p. 395) |
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Jan van Eyck, 1439 Web Gallery of Art Portrait of Barbara van Eyck |
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Rogier van der Weydan, c. 1443-45 (Vos, p. 235) Detail from the Triptych of the Crucifixion The donor's wife wears a black fur-lined houppelande with bagged sleeves and red undersleeves. The front opening extends below her waist. Her headdress resembles that of the "Lady" above more so than that of the biblical women in Weydan's other paintings. Note how her sleeve appears to be twisted at the wrist. |
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Petrus Christus, 1449 (Ainsworth, p. 97) Detail from Saint Eligius (also known as "The Goldsmith's Shop) The lady appears to be wearing a sheer neck drape or partlett. I was able to see this painting quite closely at the Met in NY last year but I'm afraid even close up the headdress was difficult to figure out. It appeared that the linen veils (one sheer and one more opaque) were supported by wire above the height of the ear pieces, that is, the structure covering the ears ends under the opaque veil and something additional actually holds the veil up. |
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Petrus Christus, c.1450 (Ainsworth, p. 133) Detail from Portrait of a Female Donor This gown is interesting as a burgundian/houpellande transition. It has the fitted sleeves and deep v-neck of the Burgundian but the fullness approaching a houppelande. In any case, it is fur lined and worn over a black undergown or insert. The truncated henin resembles that of the Weydan Portrait of a Woman. The sleeve head is interesting because it suggests that the sleeve is not a raglan sleeve, rather a regular set in sleeve that has a deep armscye. |
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Rogier van der Weyden, 1453-5 (Vos, p. 299) Detail from St. John Altarpiece The two visitors are quite tiny images in the original painting, hence not a lot of detail. The woman in front wears a red houppelande over a black undergown. |
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Rogier van der Weydan, c. 1455 Web Gallery of Art Portrait of a Lady |
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Rogier van der Weydan, c. 1464 Web Gallery of Art Portrait of a Woman |
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Hans Memling, c. 1463 Web Gallery of Art Detail from The Presentation in the Temple |
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Hans Memling, c. 1469 (Vos, p. 84) Detail from exterior of the triptych The Last Judgment Caterina de Francesco Tanagli, wife of Angelo di Jacopo Tani who was manager of the Medici bank in Bruges from 1455-1465 before Tommaso Portinari. She wears a red Burgundian with open sleeve seam and pearled/beaded veil. |
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Hans Memling, c. 1478 (Campbell, p. 377) The Donne Triptych Saint Catherine wears the "royal surcoate," Saint Barbara wears a fitted kirtle with pin-on oversleeves, Lady Donne wears ( detail: campbellp377a ) the purple Burgundian with fitted sleeves and fur collar/trim. Her daughter wears a fitted kirtle with front open and laced over a red undergown (or false front?). |
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Hans Memling, c. 1482 Web Gallery of Art Wife of William Moreel |
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Detail from Rogier van der Weyden's "The Deposition" (Davies, pl. 1) The Magdalen wears a fitted kirtle, with waist seam and interesting piecing in the skirt . Her sleeves are pinned on. |
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Rogier van der Weyden, 1430-35 (Vos, p. 24) Detail from The Descent from the Cross Additional detail of gown closure |
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Rogier van der Weyden, 1438-40 (Vos, p. 211) Detail from the Triptych of the Crucifixion 'Abegg triptych' Fur lined purple kirtle over brocade undergown. Note the side and sleeve lacing and "biblical" headdress. |
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Rogier van der Weydan, c. 1450 (Web Gallery of Art) Braque Family Triptych (detail) The Magdalen's kirtle shows seam details and she wears that amazing, controversial, hat. |
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Rogier van der Weyden, 1453-5 (Vos, p. 121) Detail from St. John Altarpiece Blue gown over green undergown |
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Dieric Bouts, ca. 1455 (Ainsworth, G. David, p. 127) Detail from Deposition with additional detail of side lacing The red kirtle is worn over a white undergown with deep fur border at hem. |
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King René, Le Cueur d'Amours Espris http://www.isd.net/cdavis/cueur.html The dark colors reflect the fact that this is a night scene. The linked image is a detail from the larger work, showing what may be a kirtle with a pinned on piece. This piece would be the visible portion at the neckline of the Burgundian gowns, above. |
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Hugo van der Goes, 1465-68 Web Gallery of Art Detail from the Calvary Triptych A rare example of a kirtle with an obvious separate bodice and skirt. |
![]() | Hugo van der Goes, c. 1470 (Nikulin, p. 41) Detail the Massacre of the Innocents. Right panel of triptych on early life of Christ. Short sleeves, front laced, no visible waist seam. Note the v-neck back and rounded shift neckline in the detail of the other gown on this panel. Interestingly, she seems to have another layer under the false sleeve (visible at the wrist) and the false sleeve passes inside the short sleeve, that is, it is not pinned to the outside of her short sleeve as in other images of this style. |
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Detail from van der Weyden's "The Presentation in the Temple" from
the Columba Altarpiece (Davies, p. 28) This detail from the right panel of the altarpiece , shows Mary's attendant holding the two doves required for sacrifice. Her hat is of interest because of its similarity to that worn by the Magdalen in another Rogier van der Weydan painting. Her undergown, like that above, has a deep fur border. This is the only example I've seen so far of a split skirt in an otherwise non allegorical type gown. |
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c. 1470-1480 (Kahsnitz, Rainer, and William D. WixomGothic and Renaissance Art in Nuremberg, 1300–1550), Metropolitan Museum of Art. (and thanks to Julia for the reference) |
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Hans Memling, ca. 1480 (Vos, p. 171, and Web Gallery of Art) Detail of Mary Magdalen from the Triptych of Adriaan Reins |
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Hans Memling, 1485-1490 (Web Gallery of Art) Allegory of True Love |
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Gerard David, ca. 1495 (Ainsworth, G. David, p. 123) Detail from The Crucifixion A fur lined green front-opening kirtle over a black undergown. Or is it? This is an interesting example of the three layer sleeves seen in several paintings of this period. The fitted button black sleeve is under a full bell gold silk/satin sleeve which is under the short kirtle sleeve. |
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Gerard David, 1502-08 (Ainsworth, G. David, p. 227) Detail from exterior panel of the Baptism Triptych An excellent example of the transitional gown. |
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Gerard David, ca. 1501-9 (Campbell, p. 147) The Virgin and Child with Saints and Donor Saints Catherine, Barbara and Mary Magdalen wear the fitted kirtle. Saint Barbara wears the variation with side or back closure, short sleeves, tight sleeved undergown and the additional layer or false sleeve of white silk or linen. Mary Magdalen's gown appears to have a wrap over asymmetrical front closure. Saint Catherine's rich gown reflects her royal status. Detail of Saint Barbara ( campbellp147a ) |
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Gerard David, 1509 (Ainsworth, p. 74) Detail from Virgin among Virgins Saint Catherine is often depicted in the "royal" surcoate. |
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Gerard David, 1509 (Ainsworth, p. 74) Detail from Virgin among Virgins |
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Gerard David, 1509 (Ainsworth, p. 75) Detail from Virgin among Virgins |
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Gerard David, 1509 (Ainsworth, p. 75) Detail from Virgin among Virgins |
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Gerard David, 1509 (Ainsworth, p. 75) Detail from Virgin among Virgins |