The Red Dragon was my starting point for this project. As I contemplated the narrative of the Woman Clothed in the Sun, I have to admit that I was so intrigued at the challenge of how to create the Dragon in stitch that I could not pass up this opportunity to give it a go. He appears in two sections of Revelation 12. He is presented in verses 3 and 4. Verses 5 and 6 describe the Woman giving birth to the Child, offering the Child to Heaven, and then fleeing for the Wilderness. Then the Dragon returns to siege war in Heaven and subsequently faces expulsion from Heaven after his defeat.
3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads.4 Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. .....
7 Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back.8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven.9 The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
The Red Dragon is a personification of Satan or the Devil. Its seven heads wear seven crowns and have ten horns. The narrative does not specify how the ten horns are divided between the seven heads. The number seven is crucial as it usually is connected with the idea of completion in the Bible. In this context, the seven crowned heads refer to the seven deadly sins or the complete embodiment of evil.
As we looked at the various depictions of the Red Dragon in Medieval Apocalypse manuscripts in class, I could not help but imagine how I could stitch each one. My favorite depiction was from the Silos Apocalypse housed at the British Library (image below). Honestly, would this not be so much fun to stitch! I love all the patterns and bold colors, the dots speckling the Dragon, who seems much more serpent-like here than most other depictions. The stars appear like tiny daisies, and the depictions of the Woman are also interesting. My fingers were twitching as color numbers and goldwork techniques filled my imagination.
My Red Dragon is inspired by Komodo dragons. I wanted to base it on an animal that was not extinct, that still lurks around the globe. I looked at various ones from different zoos and National Geographic photography and YouTube. Their movement is slow, methodical, and creepy.
Once I had the base body, I played around with adding six more heads. A question that became very important was, "Should the heads be of equal size?". In theory, the answer to that question is probably yes, as the sins are seen as equally bad. However, I felt that it was essential for there to be a larger head, partly as visually it seemed creepier, and partly because in the Christian churches I grew up in, there was common debate about which sin was the "unforgivable sin" as mentioned in the New Testament.
So how was the Dragon depicted in Apocalypse manuscripts?
In most of the manuscripts I have explored, all seven of the heads are of equal size to each other. In both the Douce Apocalypse and the Trinity Apocalypse, this is the case. However, the necks intertwining in the Dragon of the Trinity Apocalypse have a different feel than the more equally long necks of the Douce Apocalypse's Dragon heads.
There are a couple of exceptions that made me feel like it was ok to deviate from the majority for my visual interpretation. The Bamberg Apocalypse is one of those examples and happens to be an Apocalypse manuscript that I find stunning stylistically. As depicted below in folio 29v, the Red Dragon in the Bamberg Apocalypse has one main head with six smaller heads stemming from the primary neck. Also of note is the beautifully vivid colors used to render this beast.
It was also interesting to consider the division of the horns to the heads as ten does not split evenly between seven heads, and, as you can imagine, there were many different ways that we see the manuscript artists dividing the horns to the heads. I decided that the smaller heads would have a single horn, and the remaining four horns would adorn the most prominent head. This acknowledges the possibility of an unforgivable sin, which may be outside or inclusive of the delineations of the seven deadly sins. It also is a way to recognize that each person may not struggle with different sins equally.
Stitching the Red Dragon:
Now that I had the basic outline of my Red Dragon, we have reached the "fun" part-- how to make it come to life in stitch! I knew I wanted it coming off the ground fabric. This Dragon was not going to be a shrinking, wallflower of a dragon. I began by padding him up with layers of felt on the body and soft string under felt for the tail. Watching the movements and joints of the Komodo Dragons helped me figure out how I wanted to pad the body. I, unfortunately, did not take photos between each layer, but the thickest area of felt was about 5 or 6 layers deep.
Once the padding was complete, it was time to add the first layer of stitching. I rendered it using split stitch (a nod to Opus Anglicanum) but using multiple strands in my needle to allow for some fun color mixing. The numerous strands also created a great texture that felt reptilian.
Also, a note: I know he has three legs. I had planned for the back leg to be covered in foliage, so I haven't forgotten about it. It's just going to be covered.
Then, I played around with different ways of making it more scaley using various needlelace and goldwork techniques. I hated all of them once they were on the Dragon, so each and every attempt was patiently taken out. Sometimes that is the only thing to do. Below is one of the failed attempts. This iteration was the one I thought was the least offensive as you could sculpt the needlelace to stand off the body. However, I was not fond enough of it to keep it, so it went too.
Now, here is the part of the making story that I love. I was so excited about the Dragon and stitching it that I kept telling my husband different ways I was thinking of stitching it. As he went to bed, he said to me, "Just don't make it too complicated." In fairness to him, I was originally trying to finish this by the time the class finished too, but all I could think was-- challenge accepted! I wanted to make the heads 3-dimensional. I wanted them coming at you! Flat heads would not do for this demonic creature lurking in my composition. I also had this idea of sculpting tubular Ceylon stitch to create these auxiliary heads that I could not wait to try.
Tubular Ceylon stitch is used in 17th Century raised-work to create little Ceylon stitch caterpillars to add to the flora and fauna that dapples the compositions. Why could I not make dragon heads like I would make the caterpillars and make them stand up and join it with a needlelace head? So, I tried it. The first result was ok, but I think I tried to accomplish too much by joining the heads into a snake hood-type structure. Below is an example of a pair combined.
After testing out joining the necks, I decided that individual neck/heads joined directly to the body was the best way to go forward. It allowed me to blend it into the body better and provided a smooth surface if I wanted to add anything after the joining.
I plunged the ends down to help secure the heads. The long silk pins enabled me to adjust the heads' directions and sequence as each neck is a different length to allow for perspective in the composition. Once I pinned them to my liking, I secured them to the body blending the joining stitches into the body stitches.
Now, the Dragon needed a wing. I made it with a mix of Gilt Sylke Twist, silk gimp, and silk floss using Brussels and corded Brussels stitch. Once completed, it was released from the template fabric and secured into place on the Dragon's body.
Next came drizzle stitch horns and french knot eyes before adding the final details of gilt crowns, tongues, and claws. Then my Red Dragon was ready to be appliquéd into place, so my attention turned to the ground fabrics.
Next time-- the background....
A Note About This Project: This is not a project foretelling the end of the world. I am also not trying to start any theological debates. I created this embroidered panel inspired by a continuing education class I took this spring, "Animals and Monsters at the End of the World in Medieval Art," with Dr. Monica Walker. In this course, we compared depictions of animals and "monsters" in a selection of Medieval Apocalypse Manuscripts and Art. It was fascinating to approach the subject of the Book of Revelation from an art history perspective and compare how the various characters and narratives were depicted. This is my personal interpretation of the story inspired by a couple of the manuscripts studied.
Referenced Sources: (this is only a selection from my full bibliography)
A. G. Hassall and W. O. Hassall, The Douce Apocalypse: with an introduction and notes (Faber, 1961).
Bodleian Libraries, Bodleian Library MS. Douce 180, April 2021.
David McKitterick, Nigel J. Morgan, Ian Short, and Teresa Webber, The Trinity Apocalypse (British Library: London, 2005).
“MS. Douce 180,” Medieval Manuscripts, April 2021.
Nigel J. Morgan, The Douce Apocalypse: picturing the end of the world in the Middle Ages (Bodleian Library, 2007).
Richard K. Emmerson, Apocalypse Illuminated: the visual exegesis of revelation in medieval illustrated manuscripts (The Pennsylvania State University Press, 2018).
"The Red Dragon Lurks in Front of the Woman Clothed with the Sun"
work in progress by Katherine Diuguid, 2021.
It does seem a bit appropriate to be stitching an Apocalyptic scene during a global pandemic, in a way, but that is not why I'm currently stitching this piece. I feel the need to put a disclaimer at the top that this is not a project foretelling the end of the world! Be at ease, my friend!
I created this embroidered panel inspired by a continuing education class I took this spring, "Animals and Monsters at the End of the World in Medieval Art," with Dr. Monica Walker. In this course, we compared depictions of animals and "monsters" in a selection of Medieval Apocalypse Manuscripts and Art. It was fascinating to approach the subject of the Book of Revelation from an art history perspective and compare how the various characters and narratives were depicted.
For our final paper, I chose to write about “The Woman and Dragon” of Revelation 12 as depicted in the Douce Apocalypse housed in the Bodleian Library. I love that its illustrations survive at various states of completion, exposing the laborious nature of the work required to create such an exquisite piece. The story of the Woman Clothed with the Sun is beautifully depicted across three pages. Her story's complexity and portrayal of femininity were fascinating to explore, especially for modern women reading today. I will readily admit to being disturbed by the narrow portrayal of women and dismayed that, if we’re honest, not much has changed while searching for the hope that is the heart of Christian belief. As Dr. Walker repeated throughout the course, “This is not an easy story.”
For the panel, I drew inspiration from both the Douce Apocalypse and the Trinity Apocalypse. Both are beautiful examples of an Anglo-Norman Apocalypse manuscript; however, there are many differences between them. Over the next series of blog posts, I will discuss the different parts of my embroidered panel in more detail and how I drew inspiration from both the Douce Apocalypse and Trinity Apocalypse to create my piece. While both are Thirteenth Century Anglo-Norman manuscripts, there is a lot to compare between them. In this blog post, I thought I would introduce the two inspirational manuscripts and lay the groundwork for all the design decisions to come and all the many, many details intricately stitched to bring my embroidered Apocalyptic scene to life.
The Douce Apocalypse
A mixture of elegantly rendered and unfinished drawings, the Douce Apocalypse is a beautiful example of an Anglo-Norman Apocalypse manuscript whose illustrations reveal the laborious work required to execute a manuscript of this caliber. The richness of the text and images are reflective of the assumed patrons Edward I and Eleanor of Castile before their ascension to the English throne and whose coats of arms are painted inside the beginning of the manuscript.
Rectangular illustrated miniatures rest atop two columns of Latin text in the Douce Apocalypse. The manuscript includes a commentary by Berengaudus and a commentary in French prose at the front of the text. It is part of the Westminster group of Anglo-Norman Apocalypse manuscripts that includes the Getty Apocalypse, MS 35166 at the British Library, and MC lat. 10474 at the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BNF) (Morgan, 12). This group of manuscripts was all written between 1255-70 and share many similarities in their visual execution of the various Apocalyptic narratives. The angels throughout the Douce Apocalypse mimic the rendering style of angels painted on the ceiling of Westminster Abbey and help to date the manuscript to 1265- 1270 when the then Prince Edward left for the Crusades (Morgan, 29).
Though the specific artist(s) is unknown, it is believed that the BNF MC lat. 10474 is a sister manuscript to the Douce Apocalypse and was probably created by the same artist(s) at a different point in their career or artists that closely collaborated (Morgan, 21). The miniatures in the Douce Apocalypse survive at various stages of completion from simple line drawing, line drawing with gilding, the addition of base color washes, and finally, compositions fully rendered with colored washes and gilding. The story of the Woman Clothed with the Sun is one of the narratives that has been fully rendered with colored washes and gilding.
Making her first appearance in the Douce Apocalypse on fol. 33v, the Woman Clothed with the Sun emerges wearing a red dress with blue sleeves as a halo containing 12 stars frames her face. She caresses her belly while standing atop a moon inside a series of concentric blue and gold undulating lines. John sits to the side on a grassy hill.
On fol. 34r, she shifts left of center inside the celestial lines as she hands her child, now born, up to heaven through a mandorla entering the frame. The seven-headed Red Dragon stands overlapping the heavenly lines, encroaching into the Woman’s space, yet distant enough to prevent its desired intent upon the Child. Progressing across the composition, the Dragon shares the grassy ridge as the Woman flees, reflecting upon her terror. Abstracted trees topped with clumps of oversized oak leaves and foliage fill the wilderness.
The Woman reappears in fol. 35v receiving wings and escaping as the earth swallows the water the Dragon spews towards her. This series of sequential images and the style of the compositions are very similar across the Westminster group of Apocalypse manuscripts that includes the Getty Apocalypse, MS 35166 at the British Library, and MC lat. 10474 at the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BNF) (Morgan, 12).
The Trinity Apocalypse
The Trinity Apocalypse does not belong to a manuscript grouping and is set aside by itself amongst Thirteenth Century Anglo-Norman Apocalypse manuscripts. The tale of the Woman and the Dragon is depicted on two folios with two rectangular illustrations on each. The Trinity Apocalypse dispenses with all introductions of the characters. We jump straight into the story on folio 13r, where we meet the Woman as she lays in bed with the sun behind her and the moon at her feet. She has already given birth to the Child and is handing Him to an angel in Heaven. In the next scene, the illustration shows the Woman sitting in the wilderness.
In folio 14r, we find the war in heaven complete and the Dragon spewing water at the Woman attempting to drown her. She receives wings from heaven, escapes the Dragon’s persecution, and flees to the desert, leaving her children to defeat the Dragon.
Trinity Apocalypse, Trinity College Cambridge, fol. 14r.
When we look at the overall page composition, we can see that the format of each page does not fit into the straight template used in the Douce Apocalypse. The text is still split into two columns, but the illustrations are doubled and are not consistently at the top of the text. The text and Berengaudas commentary, both in Anglo-Norman, appear to be the work of one scribe. The choice to avoid a strict template may have been the artists attempt to compensate for the differing lengths between the Biblical text and commentary (McKitterick, 35 and 42).
The illustrations of the Trinity Apocalypse are richly rendered without any bare space remaining. The full illustrations are each completely filled with color washes and gilding with the backgrounds filled with interesting geometric vignettes that frame the compositions and create a harmonious feel joining the compositions together. Delicate tiny patterns are used in the large areas to break up the solid spaces resulting in richly detailed compositions in which every area seems deeply special and considered.
The Focus of My Panel
When considering which part of the narrative to depict in my embroidered panel, I was drawn to the section of the text which both of the manuscripts seemed to skip past--Revelation 12: 3 and 4 which describes the presentation of the Red Dragon. I decided to create an embroidered panel based on this section of the story.
3Then I witnessed in heaven another significant event. I saw a large red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, with seven crowns on his heads. 4His tail swept away one-third of the stars in the sky, and he threw them to the earth. He stood in front of the woman as she was about to give birth, ready to devour her baby as soon as it was born. Revelation 12: 3 and 4
In comparing the written story in Revelation to the depicted story in both the Douce and Trinity Apocalypse, it seemed like a large visual jump to leave out the presentation of the Red Dragon. And, I cannot lie. I got really excited thinking about how I could stitch a seven-headed dragon!
Why These Two Apocalypse Manuscripts?
So, why did I choose these two specific manuscripts? Well, it's not because they were my favorite. There are definitely aspects of each that I love, but if I had to pick a favorite it might be the Silos Apocalypse for its amazing use of pattern within the motifs. I chose these two manuscripts because there were enough similarities that comparing the two made logical sense and enough differences that I felt confident that I could create a piece that would give a nod to both while being distinctly mine. Also, the reasons that I love each are directly opposite each other.
The plain background of the Douce Apocalypse is fabulous. It simultaneously feels like a sketchbook while also minimizing any distraction from the stories depicted. I also really enjoy the geometry present in the compositions--the concentric circles and their undulating lines reflected in the foliage boundaries. The movement of the narrative through the imagery is well developed. The foliage becomes more and more prominent as the Woman descends from Heaven and then is earthbound.
The fully rendered background of the Trinity Apocalypse, on the other hand, I love too! The delicate diaper patterns soften the background vignettes' harsh rectangles and help harmonize the background with the foreground. It is also a lovely study in color placement.
I wanted to be able to incorporate my reflections on both the imagery and the complexities I found with the story itself. As a woman, the depictions of femineity in Revelation are troubling and I hold no judgment towards anyone that reads it and rejects that imagery as wholly misogynistic. The story of Revelation is far too frequently used for emotional and psychological subjugation by way of fear and shame. I wanted my piece to reflect the hope of the Christian story, not the condemnation.
Watch this space for more :)
Referenced Sources: (this is only a selection from my full bibliography)
A. G. Hassall and W. O. Hassall, The Douce Apocalypse: with an introduction and notes (Faber, 1961).
Bodleian Libraries, Bodleian Library MS. Douce 180, April 2021.
David McKitterick, Nigel J. Morgan, Ian Short, and Teresa Webber, The Trinity Apocalypse (British Library: London, 2005).
“MS. Douce 180,” Medieval Manuscripts, April 2021.
Nigel J. Morgan, The Douce Apocalypse: picturing the end of the world in the Middle Ages (Bodleian Library, 2007).
Richard K. Emmerson, Apocalypse Illuminated: the visual exegesis of revelation in medieval illustrated manuscripts (The Pennsylvania State University Press, 2018).
