Last week I had the amazing opportunity to take a research trip to the Art Institute of Chicago. It was an amazing 3 days and I am now trying to reflect and process all I saw and studied. I already am hoping to go back again!
I met Isaac Facio (in the Art Institute Textiles Department) at the TSA Conference in Savannah when I presented my research poster. He graciously offered to coordinate a visit for me to see some of their pieces in the textiles collection and connected me with the European Paintings department to arrange some stitching time with Monet. If you are interested in weaving, I highly recommend looking at Isaac's website for his research, The Fabric of the Universe, combining 3-d weaving techniques and astrophysics.
At the Art Institute Day 1:
I spent the first part of the day with the Textiles Deparment and Isaac. They had pulled a number of pieces of stumpwork and ecclesiastical embroidery for me to study. I've put the links to of a couple of the pieces that I was able to view below. In addition to the embroideries I studied, I was able to look at 2 tapestries as well that incorporated a good bit of metallic threads in them. I was excited that they had left these pieces out for me as I have been interested in extending my research into comparing the color interactions in embroidery to those in tapestries since my trip to France a couple years ago and reading some of Michel Eugène Chevreul's writings on color theory.
English Opus Anglicanum Panel, 1995.385
I have to say I was particularly taken by this Opus Anglicanum piece and kept coming back to it and taking more detailed photos. The split stitch was just stunning and tiny, tiny, tiny. The color in person of the threads was really well preserved and there was a rich example of different techniques in this "small" piece. It allowed for some wonderful study of the shading techniques.
It was interesting to observe how the metals and the stitched techniques were blended on this piece. For example, Christ's hair and beard were rendered in stripes of modeled split stitch in yellow and green, a technique often seen in Opus Anglicanum. Mary's hair, however, is rendered in stripes of yellow split stitch alternating with stripes of couched passing with a yellow couching thread. Both faces and crowns were stitched in similar fashion allowing the difference in hair rendering to be both subtle (due to the repetition of yellow used) and easily comparable due to the anchors of similar surrounding techniques. Observing from a small distance, it created a slight visual bounce and lightness (or feminine quality) to Mary's hair while Christ's hair was much more static feeling.
This piece also offered a wealth of opportunities to study colored threads interacting with metals. The background was created with areas of metal passing couched with red to create an interesting diamond pattern that changed in scale inside each connected area. The bottoms of the columns had areas of red and blue couching and areas of colored laid work with a trellis of metal over the top. The garments, rendered in modeled bands of split stitch, had a scattered pattern of metal crosses formed with couched passing and tips of metal purl and metal twists and passing trims.
Stumpwork Picture Depicting the Queen of Sheba before King Solomon1962.773
This piece of stumpwork had some really incredible sculptural qualities and some wonderful trims on the character's garments. Specifically, there was a hammered metal trim that I have seen before in little details but not in this quantity of use. These garments were really covered in metals including the hammered trim, spangles, purls, and smooth passing. I kept imaging how "blingy" it must have been before the metals had tarnished!
The way the crowns on the King and Queen were created was also very interesting as it mixed smooth purl with sead pearls in a looping technique that made the crown both pop off the surface and poses a kind of electric, mangled quality that created an overall charming feeling.
The scale of people to composition of this piece was also interesting. There were 2 buildings in the background and a couple floral and fauna motifs, however the characters, due to their size and intricacy of detailing, were by far the stars of this panel and commanded the viewers attention. In most of the stumpwork panels I have seen, the size of the people is not quite so dominant.
Stumpwork Casket Depicting Scenes from the Old Testament1959.337
This casket was huge and had tons of different techniques (especially needlelaces) on it. It was so intricate and honestly so much fun to look at! One of my favorite techniques in stumpwork (and I know this is an odd one) is how the shadows of the needlelace flowers and butterflies are stitched in a matching satin stitch behind the needlelace. This casket was covered in examples of this on the flowers, leaves and butterflies.
Another technique that I paid particular attention to was the use of pistol stitch (a french knot at the end of a long straight stitch done simultaneously) in some of the leaves. It was noteworthy in the density of use and the banded shading that it was used for. It is interesting to me that the banded shading was still used in a technique that could have easily not been banded. With the needlelace, couched colored purls and satin stitch, I understand the use of banded shading is much easier/kind of the default required as it would be very difficult to have multiple needles going. With the pistol stitch I think it is interesting that this visual banding is maintained as it would not have been difficult to swap out needles. Same goes for the areas of cut colored purl, I wonder why they chose to align the cut bits in linear color formation. This is something that I have seen a number of times in my different research trips and that I have been pondering for a while and this large casket has rekindled this curiosity in my mind.
I met Isaac Facio (in the Art Institute Textiles Department) at the TSA Conference in Savannah when I presented my research poster. He graciously offered to coordinate a visit for me to see some of their pieces in the textiles collection and connected me with the European Paintings department to arrange some stitching time with Monet. If you are interested in weaving, I highly recommend looking at Isaac's website for his research, The Fabric of the Universe, combining 3-d weaving techniques and astrophysics.
At the Art Institute Day 1:
I spent the first part of the day with the Textiles Deparment and Isaac. They had pulled a number of pieces of stumpwork and ecclesiastical embroidery for me to study. I've put the links to of a couple of the pieces that I was able to view below. In addition to the embroideries I studied, I was able to look at 2 tapestries as well that incorporated a good bit of metallic threads in them. I was excited that they had left these pieces out for me as I have been interested in extending my research into comparing the color interactions in embroidery to those in tapestries since my trip to France a couple years ago and reading some of Michel Eugène Chevreul's writings on color theory.
 |
| Opus Anglicanum Fragment, 1400-1450, Art Institute of Chicago, Grace R. Smith Textile Endowment, 1995.385 |
I have to say I was particularly taken by this Opus Anglicanum piece and kept coming back to it and taking more detailed photos. The split stitch was just stunning and tiny, tiny, tiny. The color in person of the threads was really well preserved and there was a rich example of different techniques in this "small" piece. It allowed for some wonderful study of the shading techniques.
It was interesting to observe how the metals and the stitched techniques were blended on this piece. For example, Christ's hair and beard were rendered in stripes of modeled split stitch in yellow and green, a technique often seen in Opus Anglicanum. Mary's hair, however, is rendered in stripes of yellow split stitch alternating with stripes of couched passing with a yellow couching thread. Both faces and crowns were stitched in similar fashion allowing the difference in hair rendering to be both subtle (due to the repetition of yellow used) and easily comparable due to the anchors of similar surrounding techniques. Observing from a small distance, it created a slight visual bounce and lightness (or feminine quality) to Mary's hair while Christ's hair was much more static feeling.
This piece also offered a wealth of opportunities to study colored threads interacting with metals. The background was created with areas of metal passing couched with red to create an interesting diamond pattern that changed in scale inside each connected area. The bottoms of the columns had areas of red and blue couching and areas of colored laid work with a trellis of metal over the top. The garments, rendered in modeled bands of split stitch, had a scattered pattern of metal crosses formed with couched passing and tips of metal purl and metal twists and passing trims.
 |
| Picture Depicting the Queen of Sheba before King Solormon, 1601-1650, Art Institute of Chicago, Gift of Mrs. Laurance H. Armour, Sr. in memory of her mother, Mrs. Henry Malcolm Withers, 1962.773 |
This piece of stumpwork had some really incredible sculptural qualities and some wonderful trims on the character's garments. Specifically, there was a hammered metal trim that I have seen before in little details but not in this quantity of use. These garments were really covered in metals including the hammered trim, spangles, purls, and smooth passing. I kept imaging how "blingy" it must have been before the metals had tarnished!
The way the crowns on the King and Queen were created was also very interesting as it mixed smooth purl with sead pearls in a looping technique that made the crown both pop off the surface and poses a kind of electric, mangled quality that created an overall charming feeling.
The scale of people to composition of this piece was also interesting. There were 2 buildings in the background and a couple floral and fauna motifs, however the characters, due to their size and intricacy of detailing, were by far the stars of this panel and commanded the viewers attention. In most of the stumpwork panels I have seen, the size of the people is not quite so dominant.
 |
| Casket Depicting Scenes from the Old Testament, 1668, Art Institute of Chicago, Restricted gift of Mrs. Chauncey B. Borland and Mrs. Edwin A. Seipp, 1959.337 |
This casket was huge and had tons of different techniques (especially needlelaces) on it. It was so intricate and honestly so much fun to look at! One of my favorite techniques in stumpwork (and I know this is an odd one) is how the shadows of the needlelace flowers and butterflies are stitched in a matching satin stitch behind the needlelace. This casket was covered in examples of this on the flowers, leaves and butterflies.
Another technique that I paid particular attention to was the use of pistol stitch (a french knot at the end of a long straight stitch done simultaneously) in some of the leaves. It was noteworthy in the density of use and the banded shading that it was used for. It is interesting to me that the banded shading was still used in a technique that could have easily not been banded. With the needlelace, couched colored purls and satin stitch, I understand the use of banded shading is much easier/kind of the default required as it would be very difficult to have multiple needles going. With the pistol stitch I think it is interesting that this visual banding is maintained as it would not have been difficult to swap out needles. Same goes for the areas of cut colored purl, I wonder why they chose to align the cut bits in linear color formation. This is something that I have seen a number of times in my different research trips and that I have been pondering for a while and this large casket has rekindled this curiosity in my mind.
Spain, El Burgo de Osma Retable, 1927.1779a-b
This piece is on public view inside the Medieval Gallery. Just a note if you want to go see it, it is only lit for 5 minutes at the top and half of each hour. And yes, if you are wondering, I totally stalked it and returned multiple times to the point that the security guard finally came up to me and asked if I was a researcher and what I was looking at! Thankfully the day I stalked it, the museum was fairly quiet and not too crowded. The Thursday and Friday I was there, the museum was very packed, so just a note for future viewing!
Isaac also sent me the link to this video about this piece as it was just recently conserved: The Retable from Chicago . The video offers some great detail shots, so I highly recommend watching it!
This piece is on public view inside the Medieval Gallery. Just a note if you want to go see it, it is only lit for 5 minutes at the top and half of each hour. And yes, if you are wondering, I totally stalked it and returned multiple times to the point that the security guard finally came up to me and asked if I was a researcher and what I was looking at! Thankfully the day I stalked it, the museum was fairly quiet and not too crowded. The Thursday and Friday I was there, the museum was very packed, so just a note for future viewing!
Isaac also sent me the link to this video about this piece as it was just recently conserved: The Retable from Chicago . The video offers some great detail shots, so I highly recommend watching it!
Further links of Interest:
I also met Dr. Erica Warren, Assistant Curator in the Textiles Department, who will be speaking on Embroidery and the Arts and Crafts Movement at the International Embroidery Conference presented by the EGA in Chicago next spring.
I also met Dr. Erica Warren, Assistant Curator in the Textiles Department, who will be speaking on Embroidery and the Arts and Crafts Movement at the International Embroidery Conference presented by the EGA in Chicago next spring.
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