Alternate Style Mantle

 In 2013, I completed and entered several pieces in the Ice Dragon Pentathlon. This included two mantles, which were made to disguise my modern riding helmet. Mantles were used in the medieval period to decorate helmets, provide identification of the wearer, and serve as protection in battle. The main project was a heraldic mantle. In addition, I made a second type and this paper is the documentation for that mantle.

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This alternate style mantle was created following the completion of the main mantle for this project. This is based on a heraldic mantle from the Gruyeres castle, dated from the 3rd quarter of the 15th century. (This is a castle in Switzerland, used by the Counts of the House of Gruyeres from the 11th to the 16th century and remains open as a museum.) Examples of this type of mantle are also found in illuminated manuscripts and other sources. Because I was curious about how this mantle might be made and used, I decided to attempt making a mantle of this type.


As noted earlier, mantles came into use in the 12th century and were apparently used to shield the wearer from the effects of the sun on armor. The color of the mantle was directly related to the color and metal of the heraldry of the wearer, usually using the main elements from the arms. In the extant example, heraldic shield-shaped badges showing arms related to the wearer are applied to the mantle.  These would have been either embroidered, appliques, or painted on the fabric, which is likely linen.  (The latter conclusion is based on the fact that the surcoat and barding of the mounted warrior was often made of linen and was used for similar reasons, i.e. protection from the sun and display of heraldry.)

The extant example, from the 15^th C ., Gruyeres Castle. (The picture was taken from this source.)  

Other examples show a heraldic shield applied to the back of the mantle as shown in this example below from the source, Richard Barber & Juliet Barker.  Tournaments: Jousts, Chivalry and Pageants in the Middle Ages. (Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, 2000.) p. 174.

My own personal arms include the following colors: red (Gules) and black (Sable); and the following metals: white (Argent) and gold (Or). In the construction of this mantle, I decided to use Sable and Or, because I had used the other color (Gules) and metal (Argent) for the primary mantle of this project. I decided to make one embroidered shield –shaped badge applique of my arms, which I would apply to the mantle. It is my thought to use this mantle in an additional project in the future. 


Embroidered cloak of Viscountess Rannveigr,
 entered at Ice Dragon 2009

Years ago, I was inspired by a cloak made by Viscountess Rannveigr which displayed her awards.  She had entered this in the Ice Dragon Pentathlon in 2009 and I greatly admired both her work and her innovation in displaying her awards. I intend to embroider additional shields with the arms representing the awards that I have been fortunate to have been given while in the Society. At this time, I used one shield of my arms to closely represent the mantle from the example. 
 

The process of the project:

I cut out appropriately shaped pieces of linen (black and gold) of the size I thought the mantle should be according to the examples. After placing the wrong sides together, I stitched the seams with a period stitch, the running stitch. I left a small section unstitched along the very top. After stitching, I flipped the mantle right side out and pressed it. Folding the seam under on the unstitched portion, I stitched the remaining seam closed with another period stitch, the hem stitch, being careful to hide the thread.

Mantle constructed

The heraldic badge was completed in the following manner:

1.  I cut out a small section of white linen to use as the ground for the embroidery. This was placed in a regular wooden embroidery hoop.
 

2.  I drew the pattern on the fabric using a pencil. The features are free-hand drawn and laid out using a ruler and careful measurement.

3.  I stitched the outline for the shield-shape, and the main figures in black using the stem stitch. I had decided to use the Bayeux Stitch and this style of embroidery is completed in this manner- the figures are outlined in black with the stem stitch. The Bayeux Stitch is a very strong type of embroidery, which is most commonly known by its use in the Bayeux Tapestry. This stitch is a type of couched embroidery where lines are laid down and additional lines of thread are laid down perpendicular to the first set, and are couched down. The Tapestry used linen cloth and wool thread.  I used the same materials in this part of the project.

Figures of bit and eagle finished

4.  Once the outline was finished, I stitched the main figures, the bit in gold, and the eagle in black.  Following this, I stitched the backgrounds of red and white.

5.  Once the stitching was complete, I trimmed the cloth, turned it over and stitched it down to create the shield shape.

Detail showing the red and white areas completed.

 

 

 

6. The shield-like badge was appliqued to the mantle, carefully concealing the stitches using another period stitch, the whip stitch.



Shield applied and project finished.

 

 

 

After this paper was written, the project has been advanced in that several more embroidered pieces were completed and added. The project was displayed as part of an Arts and Sciences (A&S) competition. This is the subject of the next post.