abendgules | MEDATS part the fourth - Dress and Textiles from Sweden's Royal Armoury

Like the talk about Irish textiles, this was a 'survey' of specific items and collections in Sweden: a pleasant introduction to major Swedish finds, and a colourful slide show of pretty things.

Dress and textiles from Sweden's Royal Armoury in Stockholm
Henrik Andersson, "Bibliotekarie", at Livruskammaren

The Royal Armoury started as s true armoury, where armour was stored ready for distribution to troops. However, its purpose changed when Gustavus Adolphus (1594-1632) donated the clothes he wore during a decisive battle, 'as a perpetual memorial'. After that, the armoury became more of a historic collection, and now holds clothing, armour and artifacts from 15th century onward. Its 'hallmark' is the collection of "blood-stained costumes preserved to bear witness to royal valour" (text from English website).

Gustavus Adolphus was crowned in 1617, and ordered his clothing from France in the latest styles. The clothes he wore at his last battle in 1632, along with his horse Streiff (!), are preserved in the collection. Their earliest pieces date from the late 15th century, during the reign of Gustav Vasa.

(Looking through the armoury website, it appears that the Swedes cycled through a series of rulers fairly briskly in the 17th century, between deaths and abdications, giving many selections of regalia to store in the collection!)

Mr. Andersson spoke briefly about the rich art heritage of Sweden, in the form of the work of Albertus Pictor, a 15th century painter and embroiderer. Unlike England, Sweden did not experience a period of radical Puritanism during the reformation - the type that stripped English churches bare of their paintings, statues, icons, and decorative works.
While Sweden was involved in conflicts, there were no major wars within Sweden's borders during the 16th century - this too meant that there was no pillaging or politically motivated destruction, as occurred during the English Civil War (ie. several medieval castles destroyed to prevent them becoming strongholds).

So Sweden still has a sizeable body of 14th and 15th c. artworks, in the form of church wall murals, sculpture and embroidery, and several collections of 15th and 16th c. 'church textiles'. Pictor is responsible for several church murals, as well as a chausable, for which he was paid (the church kept the receipt in its records).

According to Andersson, these textiles were well cared for during/after the 16th century; the users could not replace them (possibly a change in the economy? fewer patrons? not sure). Unfortunately some metal-thread embroideries were melted down in the 18th c. for their gold, but those that survived this century were preserved for their historic value. By the early 20th c, archivists were staring to work on preservation and conservation techniques, that they continue to develop today.

In his survey, Andersson touched on:
- The Skog wall hanging, dating 13th c, worked in a soumak (wrapping) technique, that is 175cm long. (Skog is pronounced a bit like 'Skoo'.)
- The many items at Uppsala Cathedral, including the clothing of the Sture family. This father and sons were murdered in May 1567 by Erik VIV, accused of treason. You can apparently count the 14 knife cuts in one doublet alone. These clothes are well documented in one of Janet Arnold's 'Patterns of Fashion' books.
- Queen Margaret's Golden Gown, now preserved and on display (dated 1353-1412). It's an italian gold brocade of red, covered in gold. What many people don't realize is that it's sized for a child.
- the Bocksten man, one of the best preserved entire outfits from the 14th century - he is now confidently dated w/ carbon 14 tests to the first quarter of the 14th c.
This man was killed by a blow to the head, then was carefully staked into the bog, face down, with two huge oak stakes, 'to keep him from walking' (as the English summary chapter in my copy of the Bocksten Man book states). More importantly it kept his ghost from hunting down his killers.
The Bocksten finds have been recently (past 10 years) reconserved, repieced in a more reasonable way, and is now displayed in a low-light setting, with a complete reproduction figure showing how he might have looked when alive.

Andersson wrapped up his presentation by describing a recent project - to display the remnants of the burial gown of Queen Christina, who abdicated in 1654, converted to Catholicism, and was buried in Rome (the Pope being quite proud of his royal convert).
Her tomb was apparently opened in 1943 during WWII, in an effort to protect it, and was reopened in 1965. She was buried with a gilded silver death mask (very eerie to look at in situ!) a silver gilded crown, and a new gown.

The fragments of her gown have been sitting in storage since then, and were only reexamined in 2005. The conservators developed a process to examine and preserve these fragements without causing them more damage, and they are now on display in a all singing, all dancing display, designed to protect them from light and oxidation.
The glass cabinet has its own atmosphere filled with nitrogen gas, which is completely controlled for humidity, etc. and will protect the fragments from futher deterioration.
The best part for viewers, though is that the embroidered fragments are mounted on flat glass plates with mirrors behind them, so you can see the back of the works as easily as the fronts. The photo of the cabinet showed a row of embroidered crowns that must have decorated the gown.

There's just a handful of photos on the Livrustkammaren website. A bit disappointing - possibly more on the Swedish site, not sure.
However, my friend

terafan posted some pictures from a trip to Uppsala Cathedral and its treasury; includes pics of the golden gown, and some medieval wall paintings.