Turning Heads with The Realm of Venus

Venetian Woman in Mourning from Cesare Vecellio's Habiti Antichi Et Moderni.

Today Concluded another challenge from Bella at The Realm of Venus. This year's mini challenge was entitled: Turning Heads. Our theme was hair styles, hair jewelry, earrings, hats, cauls, make up, etc. As with all of your challenges I walk in with large dreams of projects to be done, and then scale them down as time allows. For more info on the challenge and to see how everyone's results are coming along please visit Bella's page for the results:
http://realmofvenus.renaissanceitaly.net/challenges/IRCMC-Feb2015/IRCMC-Feb2015.htm

Giovanni Cariani, c1560s (?): Portrait of a Lady. Private Collections

My first piece is a pair of earrings made of gold filled items from the jewelry store. I was inspired by the dangling earrings seen in Venice between 1550 and 1570. The original "pendent" pieces of the earrings had some very non period elements which I snapped off and filed down. The dangling pieces are etched gold spacer beads on eye pins. I chose French ear wires to more closely duplicate the look of the period ear wires. 

My second piece is a pearl necklace. Venetian women loved their pearls. Many Venetian brides are painted with a short string of large pearls wrapped around their necks. This necklace is strung on beading silk cord and knotted on each pearl. I used 8-9 mm freshwater pearls and expect the period string will eventually stretch out or break. The knots between each pearl with prevent me from loosing too many. The hook closure I made by hand using gold filled wire and was inspired by hook and eye closures on clothing from the period.

Rolled hem and lace attachment

Piece number 3 took the most time out of all 3 items for your turning heads challenge. This veils is a rectangle of silk chiffon 138 cm by 146 cm. I used a rolled hem on the veil as seen in Textiles and Clothing 1150-1450. I used a fine steel sewing needle and silk thread to finish the edge. The lace is a machine made bobbin lace similar to those available at the time, but slightly wider than the normal lace used on veils. I applied the lace to the hem by floating silk sewing thread through the existing hem and stitching down the lace every centimeter. While this stitch is not discussed by Crowfoot, it was an effective solution which prevented exposing longer stitches to unnecessary abuse with long term wear. I secured the lace every 3 inches with a knot to prevent it from ripping off if caught on something. 

Veils are an essential piece of outerwear for a well born Venetian woman. Vecellio discusses the different ways veils are worn at length in his work Habiti Antichi Et Moderni. Typically in Venice, white veils were worn by young unmarried women and brides. Black veils are worn mostly by mature women and women in mourning.

A Courtesan and a respectable Venetian Woman. by Lucas D'Heere.

Bibliography

Crowfoot, Elisabeth, Frances Pritchard, and Kay Staniland. "Sewing Techniques and Tailoring." Textiles and Clothing, C.1150-c.1450. Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK: Boydell, 2012. 151-58. Print.

D'Heere, Lucas. Théâtre de tous les peuples et nations de la terre avec leurs habits et ornemens divers, tant anciens que modernes, diligemment depeints au naturel. Ghent University.

http://lib.ugent.be/catalog?q=rug01%3A000794288

Vecellio, Cesare, Margaret F. Rosenthal, and Ann Rosalind. Jones. The Clothing of the Renaissance World: Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas: Cesare Vecellio's Habiti Antichi Et Moderni. London: Thames & Hudson, 2008. Print.