English Medieval Embroidery – Opus Anglicanum

[English page]

3. OCTOBER 2016

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From 1250 – 1350 English embroidery – Opus Anglicanum – was known to make queens, kings, popes and cardinals avaricious and envious. Sumptuous with gold, silk, and silver thread and worked with pearls and jewels this work offered the chance to wear the skin of your heroes – weather godly, saintly or just noble on your body. Read the catalogue and see the exhibition.

English Medieval Embroidery: Opus Anglicanum
Edited by Clare Browne, Glyn Davies and M. A. Michael
Yale University Press 2016

ABSTRACT:

In medieval Europe, embroidered textiles were indispensable symbols of wealth and power. Owing to their quality, complexity, and magnificence, English embroideries enjoyed international demand and can be traced in Continental sources as opus anglicanum (English work). This sumptuously illustrated book draws on new research and detailed photography to offer an introduction to their design, production, and use. Essays by leading experts explore the embroideries’ artistic and social context, while catalogue entries examine individual masterpieces. Medieval embroiderers lived in a tightly knit community in London, and many were women who can be identified by name today. Comparisons between their work and contemporary painting challenge modern assumptions about the hierarchy of artistic media. Contributors consider an outstanding range of surviving examples, highlighting their exquisite craftsmanship and exploring the world in which they were created.

The book is a catalogue published in connection with exhibition at the Victorian & Albert Museum in London 2016

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Clare Browne is a curator of textiles, and Glyn Davies is a curator of medieval art at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. M. A. Michael is professorial fellow, School of Culture and Creative Arts, University of Glasgow.

VISIT:

Opus Anglicanum: Masterpieces of English Medieval Embroidery
Victoria & Albert Museum
28.09.2016 – 05.02.2017

FEATURED PHOTO

Detail from the Jesse Cope © Victoria and Albert Museum