Examples of Medieval Textile Patterns

Illustration: Jean Froissart. Coronation of Henry IV, c1470.

Truly, medieval textiles, rather than those in the style of, are not nearly as numerous as we would wish them to be. There are a number of reasons why this should be so. Apart from the obvious length of time between the medieval period and our own, there is also the fact that until recent times the idea of throwing away anything that could not be reused and recycled was not even a consideration. The same was certainly true for textiles, particularly those used domestically. 

Medieval wall hangings for example, were often used until obviously threadbare. They were then cut up into smaller segments and used for various other domestic tasks including upholstery, the better kept pieces taking a more prominent position. The original large hangings would, over the years, become increasingly smaller and smaller until they literally disintegrated. So in some ways we should be grateful that we don't have many examples as it meant that our ancestors in many ways understood the valuable lessons regarding sustainable wealth and certainly of sustainable textiles.

Illustration: Jean Froissart. Death of Evan de Foix, c1470.

To be fair, a number of good examples of medieval textile design do survive. However, a ready supply of imagery, giving a plethora of textile pattern work, or at least a strong indication as to how much of the rich textile design work was available and how it looked, both as a design and within a setting, can be seen through the use of illustrations in medieval manuscripts. Many contain interior scenes, admittedly of a wealthy kind, often at Court, but as much of the medieval textile pattern work was produced for this particular social class, that is where we must look for the finest in textile work produced during this era.

Many medieval pattern ideas and influences can be traced to previous sources, whether classical, Byzantine or Islamic. However, others are very much rooted in the medieval world of Europe with its crests and coats of arms being particularly important in the art of underlining and reiterating power within the framework of allegiance that formed such an important network across Europe, long before the days of the nation state.

Illustration: Jean Froissart. The King of Hungary in Council with his Lords and those of France, c1470.

Another important element and some would say the preeminent one, was nature. The often localised natural world filtered through to all aspects of the medieval world and certainly through that of its decorative arts. The first four illustrations for this article are taken from the fourteenth century work of Jean Froissart. They show a variety of large textile pieces that were very often used as a means of ceremonial theatricality, rather than private domesticity. However, we must remember that the medieval Court was very often a place of public ceremony and affirmation of allegiance, with little in the way of privacy. 

Although Froissart reproduced a number of different textile pattern pieces for his illustrations, I have chosen four pieces with pattern work that are closely aligned with each other. All the pieces have singular motifs as their main ingredient, often with an alternate colour scheme in order to vary the pattern. The bunches of flowers, which were always portrayed as growing out of the ground, rather than in a vase, were a popular theme in medieval textile work and turned up frequently in tapestry work, particularly to fill in large empty areas of composition. These proved so successful and so enduring that they were maintained throughout the medieval period and into the Renaissance led classically derived period. 

 Illustration: Jean Froissart. The Ransom paid to Bajazet for the Count de Nevers, etc, c1470.

Interestingly, these self-same motifs were again revived by Victorian medievalists such as William Morris. The last illustration in this article shows an early Morris textile piece from the 1860s. Daisy shows a similar penchant for the use of the flower bunch motif. He also used alternate colours and flower types to vary the pattern work. It is known that Morris derived this pattern scheme from tapestry work that was produced later than the medieval period. However, the same techniques, as stated earlier, were used long after the medieval period had ended.

It is interesting to see the same motif styles being used after Morris and can probably be seen, at least in some context, within pattern work of our own contemporary era. Rather than believing that we are merely indulging in a constant journey of reimagining the past through textiles, I would like to think more in the vein of themes portrayed in the medieval world being just as relevant and dynamic to succeeding generations as they were to the originals. Morris pattern work for example, is not a pastiche of the medieval; he merely used the original theme as a starting point. However, in many respects he came from the same belief system as the medieval designer, portraying the immediate and localised natural world around them, and in that respect, the connection between the medieval, Victorian and contemporary world, can certainly find common ground.

 Illustration: William Morris. Daisy textile design, 1864.

Medieval pattern work should not, ideally, be contained within its time frame. It has the capacity to appeal to later generations, as it clearly did through its pattern longevity. This decorative work was vibrant, colourful and imaginative. It appealed to our ancestors who used it both publicly and privately, domestically and within a religious context. It was one of the most important elements of medieval decorative life and was served by a huge industry. It has only lost its place through an obvious lack of large scale survival, compared to architectural remains, textile remains are woefully inadequate. There has also been the fairly recent movement away from highlighting craft-based disciplines, which are often seen as female-based and therefore both secondary and amateur, towards architecture which is often seen as male-based and therefore professional. Although this is perhaps an over simplification, many will be aware of the emphasis placed on different areas of the creative medieval world by the contemporary one. But that is a discussion for another day.

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Gothic Revival Wallpaper Decoration and Pattern

Illustration: William Woollams and Co. Block wallpaper design, 1851.

The history of wallpaper design has very often been identified quite clearly with the history of the decorative arts. By its nature, particularly from the nineteenth century onwards, it appeared almost instantaneous compared to many other formats within an interior. Because wallpaper became connected with mass production, new and varied design work appeared on the market with an increasingly rapid turnover. Design styles were not only fashion orientated, but also connected with the different strata of society, along with the differences that became apparent in the nineteenth century between the interior requirements of domestic households, with wallpaper design work appearing to satisfy the perceived tastes of both the male and female dominated areas of the home.

The nineteenth century saw an extensive range of suppliers in both Europe and North America producing decorative pattern work to feed an ever expanding market. Although it is often assumed that wallpaper work in the nineteenth century was over-laden with excessive amounts of pattern and colour, it is sometimes interesting to examine some of the examples that were part of the market and to re-examine our preconceptions, many of which were coloured by ideas concerning the nineteenth century that were promulgated by the twentieth century.

The example shown in this article was produced in 1851 by the company of William Woollams and Co. This block printed design does not have any of the heavy formatting that we often associate with the Victorian era. It is simple, certainly within its colour range and was produced, although not specifically, for a picture hanging room where it would conceivably not clash with any of the compositions hung in front of it. Although not specifically machine produced, other examples similar to this were produced by machine. The common misconception is that machine produced wallpaper design work was both badly designed and of inferior workmanship. While machine produced wallpaper output could not hope to compete with hand production, the quality of pattern work was not always as clear cut as critics of the period would have the public believe. Many of the examples reached the same level of competence as this particular example, although to be fair, many did not.

The fact that this particular wallpaper design was produced at the beginning of a decade that was to see the spectacular rise of mainstream medievalism in the form of the Gothic Revival, is shown perhaps in the choice of pattern format. Perhaps not as obvious or structured as the work of A W N Pugin, it is nonetheless very much in the mould of medieval styling that was considered acceptable for the period. The scroll work could easily have been identified either with ecclesiastical stone work or elaborate door hinges; it could even have been identified with medieval book illustration. The fact that all of these origin points, as well as others, shows how non-specific some of the medieval sourcing for the Gothic Revival really was. 

Instigators of specific sourcing for the revival, such as A W N Pugin already mentioned, and that of Owen Jones, wanted deliberate and scholarly investigation into medieval pattern work, specifically the anatomy of the differing decorative styles that went to make up the era. That these investigations could then be used to both help and expand the vocabulary of contemporary nineteenth century pattern work, including that of wallpaper design, was widely expected. However, the interior decoration market has always been led by a largely pragmatic approach to decoration in its broadest sense. No large tomes regarding medieval decoration and ornament were followed by many of the suppliers of the interiors trade, although these were both written and published in large and varied profusion, particularly during the 1850s and 1860s.

Many of the wallpapers produced during this period were given the feel of medievalism without the strict structure of the original source. Many wallpaper suppliers and retailers were well aware that although the Gothic Revival had huge potential for expansion and exploitation, it was also one that had to harmonise with the relative relaxed and casual atmosphere of mid-nineteenth century domestic interiors. In other words, what had originally been produced for medieval ecclesiastical benevolence did not necessarily mean that the same effect was expected in a mid-nineteenth century parlour or library. 

To be fair, the original intention of the Gothic Revival had been one that was limited to the ecclesiastical, but as with so much in the region of fashion and taste; it soon escaped and was being both diverted and reimagined for public secular life and the wholly lighter shade of domestic life. 

It is interesting to note how many objects from strictly religious backgrounds became available for domestic accessories. The nineteenth century saw a particular penchant for Christian, Islamic and Hindu imagery whereby specific images were either used as decorative resources or were incorporated as loose accessories in the form of intriguing statuary. This theme continues into our own era whereby imagery is still being related to design interiors. However, the sourcing is now even more eclectic than it was perhaps in the nineteenth century, with anything from Ancient Egypt to Buddhism being incorporated into contemporary interiors.

In this respect it is perhaps wise to see the rise of medievalism in the nineteenth century, at least within the context of interiors, as part of the expanding interest in the eclectic. This does not necessarily negate any other factors that could also be incorporated into the rise, from Pugin's religious convictions to that of Jones fascination with the anatomy of decoration. However, there is also nothing against the celebration of decoration for its own sake. Pattern is one of our most ancient expressions and whether it derives from an abstract religious conviction or the observational shape of a flower of leaf, there is no reason why it should not also be celebrated within the context of a Victorian parlour or a contemporary living room of the twenty first century.

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