Medieval Clothing and Textiles ed. by Robin Netherton and Gale R. Owen-Crocker (review)

This is the ninth volume in a series devoted to current research in the field of medieval clothing and textiles. The varied approaches demonstrated by the seven contributing authors show the breadth of the subject matter and the ongoing development of discourse across a variety of fields.

The first two articles are both centred on Italian manuscript material. Antonietta Amati Canta draws on extant legal documents, dating from 971 to 1397, to establish definitions for women’s dress. The information is presented in prose and tabulated, both useful in different ways. Lucia Sinisi focuses on one legal document from the same region of Bari in her examination of the garments illustrated in the cartula of morgincap. This document is unique among notarial manuscripts as it has a pictorial representation of the bride and bridegroom. Placing the document in context along with discussion of the different elements shown in the illustration begins to build a picture of the customs around wedding gifts, dress, social position, and symbolism.

In his contribution, Mark Zumbuhl queries the validity of defining clothing as currency, referring to evidence in Irish legal documents. Indeed, through a discussion of the situations in which garments are used as payment and compensation, Zumbuhl concludes that while the value of clothing was recognised in law it was rarely used as currency.

A Cistercian monastery wardrobe account book and information it can provide on monastery production is the focus of John Oldland’s article. Oldland contextualises the production of woollen cloth and clothing at Beaulieu and provides definitions within the text. He also tabulates data, effectively demonstrating consumption and comparative aspects of the research. Eva Andersson examines documentary evidence for the consumption of various types of fabrics and dress across Europe and Scandinavia between 1200 and 1500. Highlighted is the range of woollen cloth identified by country of origin, plant fibre and silk cloth, along with a variety of furs and leather, presented in graphs.

Incorporation of particular idiosyncratic decoration of garments is the focus of John Block Friedman’s article. He uses a range of images and documentary sources to illustrate his discussion on the response to the fashion for dagged clothing in England and France and clearly illustrates the outrage of early moralists to the extremes of fashion.

Susan James’s contribution is the only one to focus on furnishing textiles. Examining sixteenth-century English domestic painted cloths, she highlights the dearth of research on these once ubiquitous textiles. Through the examination of a range of evidence, including extant fabric, James discusses the production, context, and dispersion of these items.

The field of textiles and clothing research is vast, and the articles in this collection demonstrate how it relates and contributes to a wider academic discourse. The strength of this volume lies in how the articles draw together disparate scholars’ work, presenting vignettes of research for wider consumption.