Greet's Middle Ages

Book Review - Magdalena and Balthasar

Magdalena and Balthasar: An Intimate Portrait of Life in 16th Century Europe Revealed in the Letters of a Nuremberg Husband & Wife, and Illuminated by Steven Ozment, c. 1986

This entertaining little book is quite the peek into the private lives of a well-to-do merchant and his wife, who are routinely separated for periods of two months up to four, as Balthasar visits the Italian fairs from Germany.

It's more fit for the armchair historian - the sort of person who wonders if the "nasty, brutish and short" rumors are really true, given all the lovely depictions left behind in artwork.  (The answer?  No, and Yes.)  Ozment quotes heavily from the letters (translated, but with appropriate usage of German terms), but only once gives an image of what a letter actually looks like.

Still, I'm quite happy with the experience - Ozment creates a rounded picture of a microcosm of 16thc German society that's helpful to the re-enactor, not in precise terms of what to wear or carry, but more in terms of what to expect, what attitude to cultivate.  Most striking is the universality of human nature. 

Tidbits I learned:

• Nuremberg was known for merchants, good order, and cleanliness
• Habits of marriage, friendship, and connivance
• details of the 16thc business world, "stroking the tail of the fox"
• Renaissance health fanaticism
• Family squabbles; "keeping up with the Imhoffs"
• Men's coats and mantles were required to be at least two finger-lengths longer than the crotch
• Presumption in dress (violating sumptuary laws) was thought to breed internal spirit of rebellion
• Ages of marriage: usually followed the minimums for "without parental consent": 25 for men, and 22 for women.  (With parental consent: 14 for men, 12 for women.)  At their marriage, Balthasar was 32, and Magdalena was 27.  She lived to 84.
• Magdalena praised independence in women and sensitivity in men, and doesn't seem to have been stepping out from the norm.

I'll be offering this book in my 'giveaway' boxes to the Shire this weekend.

A&S summary: 2nd quarter 2008

This quarter's list isn't as long as ones past, but hey, at least it exists.  In Spring 2008, I:

• Researched and constructed a Roman woman's costume: Corinthian tunica, palla, and vittae
• Researched and began reproduction of 12thc brocaded tabletwoven bands
• Researched and tested tapestry-woven embellishment (clavi) for eventual Coptic tunic
• Attended Kingdom A&S; asked questions about stained-glass design and authority to approve; participated in Embroiderer's Guild Salon
• Finished reading "Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Four Kings"
• Began reading "Magdalena and Balthesar: An Intimate Portrait of Life in 16thc Europe Revealed in the letters of a Nuremberg Husband and Wife"
• Commissioned and approved research for 15thc trestle table from Sir Jean-Claude
• Researched and collected images of 14th/15thc male garb for Sir Jean-Claude
• Researched and collected information for 3rd Crusade, male garb, for Orlando
• Helped host A&S display at Spring Crown List
• Researched and collected images of various period architectures appropriate for Meridian Gate project
• Presented "fluff to fabric" demo at 3 public events; wove and spun wool

The Arab Conquests

I'm having fits with TypePad - they're doing upgrades, and I never seem to find a good time to upload pictures.  While I struggle with that, check out In Our Time's current podcast download: The Arab Conquests.

Melvyn Bragg discusses the mighty Arab conquests of the 7th century with his guests Hugh Kennedy, Professor of Arabic at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London; Amira Bennison, Senior Lecturer in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at the University of Cambridge; and Robert Hoyland, Professor in Arabic and Middle East Studies at the University of St Andrews.

Attempt 1

For those who know what I'm lately up to...

On the left, the original, purple wool on linen.
The part I copied is in the green box.

On the right, my first attempt, also wool on linen.

There will be more - I like this stuff.

Seth & Gwen's Coronation plans

So the word is, that they're dressing 1150 black and white, and they'd like
to see everyone else in black and white for their own period.

I don't have a period.  Nor do I have any black and white.

Still alive - here's the Black Death.

Hi all - sorry for the hiatus in posts.  I've put myself on a new schedule, am tremendously productive...but haven't been taking the time to blog.  However, I'm presently on vacay visiting family, so...

Here's a bit of Black Death to entertain you while I figure out what to do with myself.  Get thyself to In Our Time, and download the audio sometime this week, because when the new one's up, the last one's gone.

Hopefully it'll still be there when I get home to my laptop.

Painting advice

words of encourgagement from Robert Genn:

 

Feel and relish the environment.
Get into a "be here now" state of mind.
Start your work anywhere.
Look cleanly and with an uncluttered mind.
Be joyous and unencumbered in your stroke.
Work everywhere at once when you can.
Try to leave your strokes alone.
Do not labour or think too much.
Don't sweat the small stuff.
Let the painting tell you what it needs.
Though it may be small, make your picture big.
Without being a wimp, serve your subject.
Don't verbalize your sight--sense the being.
Surrender to earth's beauty and wisdom.
If you make errors, fix them in good humour.
Be suspicious of what you've been told, how you ought to do
things, and what you ought to think.

Name and device passed

Accepts from Meridies

Margareta Gijsberts. Name and device. Vert, on a chief wavy argent two bees
sable.

Hurrah, it's done! - As Melbrigda, our Herald, and 'name representative' (aka Lambent Herald) for the Kingdom to the College of Heralds, said:

"Start slapping bees on stuff."

Heh.  A note to the picky precise - bees have two sets of wings.  This is actually part of a conversation I had with some heralds at RUM last year who were concerned that perhaps bees sable might not be distinguishable as bees, and not flies, or dragonflies, or some other insect.  We brainstormed and decided that the silhouette of a bee was distinct enough, because of the short fat body and the double set of wings, and apparently the College agreed.  Mel says:

Congratulations!  Made it through without a single commentary, artist's note or concern!  Woot!

Of course there was no standardized spelling in the 15thc, so now I get to purposefully misspell Margaret anyway I feel like it.  Though this will be the spelling on my awards, etc, because this is the digital age, and Paper Stuff Must Be Consistent.

Formal Potager - Layout, Spring 2008

Rather an exciting weekend at Greet's cottage.  I attacked the front garden Saturday morning with some stakes and string and this is what it looks like now, in early morning before the bake of the sun sets in:

I can't believe we did this in a total of about 12 hours.  I put in 8 on Saturday, 3 of which was me fussing with string, tape measure and stakes, and the remaining 5 we worked together at moving all of the cinder blocks necessary, a lot of dirt, and a bit of sod.  Yesterday we did a bit more dirt (removed nearly all of the Lump O' Composted Driveway from the backyard), and moved a bunch of mulch from down the street.

I have some lemon thyme to put in, as you can see along the main aisle, and more English thyme started from seed - when it gets bigger it will be a low hedge all the way around all the beds.

All this activity has been inspired by a book, Creative Vegetable Gardening.

I've been really enjoying this one, which has lots of potager examples as well as good technical info on things like pruning fruit trees to shapes (the things to be done with apples!), and making patterns with cut-come-again greens.  I had been very frustrated, as most coffee-table/design books are not on vegetable gardens, and the seed catalogs only show you a dish of edibles, not what the plant looks like.

Beware though - I set it down last weekend and determined that our 70'x40' front garden needed all its beds and paths switched around to a more formal pattern, so that I'll like it better when it's empty, er, dormant, er, when I'm THINKING.

I am so lucky to have a husband who happily totes cinder block, schleps soil, and spreads mulch.  (The sod-moving produced grumbling, but we'd never tried to do that before.)  Nobody tripped over any layout strings, and this morning we both seem to be able to walk.  (I hope it lasts.)

Of course, I'm not near done.  Gardens are never done.  I have this patch of lettuce to set out:

and this jungle to clear still:

We're thinking we'll rip out that pampas grass and replace it with a pineapple guava I just got, and march some agave down the right side of the main aisle.  All that yellowish cast iron will come out, too.  (For those of you not applying the 'IT MUST BE USEFUL/EDIBLE' rule to your landscapes, cast iron is a fantastic shade plant.  Takes everything but sun.)

After the pineapples recover a bit from the last freezes, I want to move them to that bit of triangle near the parking spot.  Also, the brand new fruit trees now clearly have to be in a perfect square...and they aren't.  Should be able to do that this week.

No idea what I'm going to put in that central rectangle.  It's a pretty hot spot, so I have to think about it.  I'll throw some basil in there immediately, because I have them coming up.  Also sprouting are sunflowers, some marigolds and zinnia, unknown curcurbits (I planted two ornamental gourds, watermelon and pumpkins in last year's compost heap, but I don't know what's where quite.)

Funny how I'm not really tired by all this work - more like exhilarated.

Versatile gown, other images and self-criticism

I've updated my 14th c European page with the latest pics from Gulf Wars, but here's some others showing my teal linen fitted kirtle.

Here's what I looked like at Saltare:

I know, it's dark and I'm standing funny.

UPDATE: Well, I hope this is better.  I need more modeling practice, clearly.

 

Composite parts: 

White cotton t-tunic shift. 
Blue linen versatile gown based on patterning from Cotte Simple, cut 6" long in back to 'puddle'.   Machine sewing on long internal seams; handsewn eyelets (with fabric's thread); handsewn silk facing, dyed to match, with fabric's thread; linen hem facing handsewn with decorative linen thread, and fabric's thread.
Yellow lace (luceted on 0000 knitting needles with crochet cotton).  Reproduction brass tip from Historic Enterprises.
Green leather apprentice belt with pewter furniture from Maudey.
Drawstring pouch.
Black poulaines from Boots by Bohemond.
Unbleached linen hose, machine sewn since seams don't show.  Or green wool hose from Historic Enterprises (size L).
Smocked apron modeled on Luttrell Psalter.
Hair sewn up in braids as in this effigy.
Headwrap is a square of white linen, wrapped and pinned on.
Hood is made by Lord Eoin, and modeled on the 14thc one in Textiles and Clothing, Crowfoot.

Successes: The whole thing looks pretty right, although the colors are very matchy which does remind one of an illustration.  Particularly nice with wooden bucket as accessory.  Muddy hem contributes to effect.

Improvements yet to be made on this ensemble.
Linen shift, possibly cut to start support process.
Finetuning of fit through bust - not quite snug enough underneath.
Self-fabric buttons on sleeves.

Variations to try.
Add surcote.
Change headdress to fillet & barbette with veil, and wear necklace for court.

Improvements for the next versatile gown, or a buttoned cote.
Wool gown.
Regularize pattern pieces: the centerback seam isn't quite on my spine; the sides aren't quite at my sides, etc.