Atlantian A&S 2009 : Persona Pentathlon

This is a collection of documentation for my entry into the Persona Pentathlon at Atlantia’s Kingdom Arts and Sciences competition (March 2009). For the Pentathlon, an entrant must prepare five (5) entries in three (3) different areas, and those items should all relate to a particular persona.

My persona focus was a 16th century Spanish noblewoman, of the court of Felipe II, and what she might carry or wear on a journey.



 

Capirote

Background

Very little is known about the travel hoods pictured in Hans van der Beken's Viaje de la emperatriz Maria desde Praga, 1601. Carmen Bernis, in her El traje y los tipos sociales en el Quijote, describes the garments as "a travel hood [that] resemble mens' hoods only in that they form a point” (Bernis 51).

 

 Hans van der Beken. Detail, Viaje de la emperatriz Maria desde Praga, 1601

Hans van der Beken. Detail, Viaje de la emperatriz Maria desde Praga, 1601

Construction

This garment is entirely hypothetical, since there are no extant patterns for a woman's travel hood that I have been able to find. Therefore, I had to look at closely related sources for inspiration.

Several points are of note in the original image:

1. The hood is pointed, but does not have a sharp crease at the top "ridge" that might indicate a solid structure underneath
2. The hoods appear to be lined with a contrasting, sometimes patterned fabric that is then turned back away form the face in a cuff.
3. Although most of the hoods are dark in colour, several are patterned or embroidered.
4. Each hood appears to have a bead or button at the tip of the point.

Since Bernis mentions that the women's hood is pointed like a man's hood, I examined several contemporary tailors' books to find a possible starting point. After much research, I decided to start with Alcega's balandran pattern, which is essentially a cape with a tall pointed hood:

Juan de Alcega. Tailor's Pattern Book, 1589

To draft the pattern, I first sketched the original in miniature onto scrap wool, cut it out, and stitched it into a doll-sized hood. I then unpicked the front mask to examine how the sides would fall open. I then resketched the original pattern into a longer, more rectangular shape. After sewing another doll-sixed version, I ended up with an item that had both the pointed tip and the somewhat rounded top of the original.

Once I was satisfied with the shape of the miniature hood, I picked out fabrics. Since this is a travel item, I assume that the fabrics should be sturdy and warm; however, the original image also shows embroidered and decorated edges and linings. I chose to use leftover silk taffeta from the rostro project for the outer shell, pale blue silk for the inner lining, and an interlining of lightly fulled wool from the capotillo project.

 I stitched the layers together with silk thread and treated them as a single layer. The garment has one seam down the back from point to hem. To achieve the rounder shape, I added a gore to the back seam, which creates a rounded hem. The seam is whipstitched in silk. I added a piece of braided commercial trim and a filigree bead to mimic the decorative touches of the original image.

Bibliography

 Alcega, Juan de. Tailor's Pattern Book, 1589. Facsimile. Ed. J. L. Nevinson. New York: Costume & Fashion Press, 1999.

Beken, Hans van der. Viaje de la emperatriz Maria desde Praga, 1601. Madrid: Patrimonio Nacional, monasterio de las Descalzas Reales.

Bernis, Carmen. El traje y los tipos sociales en el Quijote. Madrid: Ediciones el Viso, 2001.

"Capirote." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capirote.

Trump, R. W. The Annotated Arnold: A commentary on Patterns of Fashion 1560-1620 by Janet Arnold. Self-published.



Capotillo

Background

The capotillo, or Spanish cassock, was an essential travel garment. Carmen Bernis points out that the capotillo allowed women to "travel on horseback, a feat which was difficult in a mantle (long cloak)” (Bernis 46). Queen Ana of Austria, on a visit to the monastery of las Huelgas in 1571, wore "a black capotillo and hat with colored feathers and white and yellow, bordered in gold, with collar and edgings of gems and many fine diamonds and pearls of inestimable value” (Bernis 46-7). Royal inventories of 1595 and 1611 note the presence of capotillos (Bernis 47) and the style is widely pictured in paintings and engravings like the following:

Pietro Bertelli. Diversarum nationen habitus

Construction

Since the capotillo is basically a shortened version of a male capo (cloak) and is frequently mentioned in extant tailor's manuals, the pattern drafting stage was fairly simple. I chose a pattern from the Freyle manuscript for my garment:

 Diego de Freyle. "Ropilla y calcon de pano de (bbt) bb."

I also referenced Burguen's pattern #146: Calcon de seda, ropilla, y jubon al sesgo.

The capotillo is made of lightly fulled purple wool lined with gold silk. The same gold silk is used for the border and the collar edging. The collar is interlined with hemp canvas to maintain the shape, but the rest of the garment is left un-interlined for comfort. The garment is fully handsewn with silk thread; each edge was finished with a whipstitch, the lining was stitched down over the outer shell, and each seam was whipped closed.

The sleeves, like those of the Bertelli engraving, are left unstitched at the front armscye to allow the sleeve to fall decoratively behind the garment. The sleeves are stil functional, although quite snug, and are fully lined with silk.

The decorative edging is loosely based on Bertelli's engraving above. The gold silk bands were applied to the garment after it was constructed, and were edged with black commercial braid that closely resembles braid patterns found in many Spanish portraits.

The buttons are inspired by the extant images on Cathy Snell's website (Kate's Corner). Each button is constructed of black linen floss wrapped over a wooden core. Gold linen floss is then laid down between the black ribs and wrapped.

Notes:

 Further plans for the capotillo include adding more rows of silk and braid, as well as added the distinctive diagonal bands on the sleeves. Finally, I plan to add tabs or wings to the sleeve cap to finish the look.

Bibliography

Banyard, Jack. "Freyle Cassock and Breeches." Accessed online February 2009. http://www.chesholme.com/~jack/cassock/.

Bernis, Carmen. El traje y los tipos sociales en el Quijote. Madrid: Ediciones el Viso, 2001.

Bertelli, Pietro. Diversarum nationen habitus. Venecia, 1594.

Burguen, Francisco de la Rocha. "Pattern #146: Calcon de seda, ropilla, y jubon al sesgo." Geometria y traca perteneciente al oficio de sastra, Valencia, 1618. hosted by Renaissance Tailor. Accessed online February 2009. http://www.vertetsable.com/research_ax9b.htm

Freyle, Diego de. "Ropilla y calcon de pano de (bbt) bb." Freyle Manuscript, 1588. hosted by Renaissance Tailor. Accessed online February 2009. http://www.vertetsable.com/research_f28.htm.

Hoefnagel, J. Civitates orbis terrarium, Colonia, 1573.

 "Sleeved Cloak of Don Garzia de Medici." Extant garment. Image hosted by Annabelle Wake. Accessed online February 2009. http://realmofvenus.renaissanceitaly.net/workbox/extmenclo3.htm

Snell, Cathy. "Making Buttons." Accessed online February 2009. http://www.employees.org/~cathy

Rostro

Background

 The rostro, or face mask, was a common item of travel clothing for the 16^th century Spanish lady. It was used to protect the face from dirt and sun, as well as to protect the identity of the wearer. The rostro was commonly constructed of silk taffeta or velvet lined with leather, with two "apertures for the eyes (Bernis 55)."  According to Carmen Bernis, rostro were mentioned in the inventory of the fabric merchant Simon Ruiz (1597); specifically, there is listed "a rostro of taffeta, of the road” (Bernis 55).  A possible example of this item is shown in Bertelli's engraving of a woman wearing "a capotillo [and] a mask that simulates the form of the nose and mouth, which justifies the name 'rostro' that it is given” (Bernis 55).

 Bertelli, Pietro. Diversarum nationen habitus. Venecia, 1594.

The rostro is also seen in Hans van der Becken's panoramic painting of the procession of Empress Maria. In this image, the young women of the procession are wearing a black rostro like the one in the Bertelli engraving:

Beken, Hans van der. Viaje de la emperatriz Maria desde Praga, 1601.

 Construction

The methods I used to construct my rostro were based heavily on the research presented by Mistress Belphoebe de Givet in her article "A 16^th Century 'Visard' Mask."

I chose to build my rostro on a base of buckram covered with silk taffeta and lined with perfumed leather. Although cardboard is also mentioned as a possible stiffening base (Bernis 54), buckram seemed to be a better choice for a lightweight item that would have been worn for lengthy periods. Silk taffeta was specifically mentioned in the Ruiz inventories; using Hans van der Beken's painting as an example of typical travel attire, I chose to use black taffeta. I also chose to line the mask with a thin goatskin perfumed with rose oil; although this is not specifically mentioned in my sources, I have come across the use of perfumed leather in Spanish glovemaking.

Buckram base

 I first wet the buckram and stretched it over a Styrofoam wig form to dry into shape. Once the buckram form was dry, I used a rabbit skin glue to attach the outer layer of taffeta to the buckram form.

 While the glue was drying, I placed a piece of 1.5 oz. goatskin in a bowl of water mixed with .5 oz of rose otto oil and let it soak for 6 hours. I then removed the leather and laid it flat to dry to prepare it to be attached to the interior of the mask.

 After allowing the taffeta layer to dry for 48 hours, I peeled the mask off the head form, pinned the square of goatskin leather, smooth side down, on the form. I applied a layer of rabbit skin glue, then pinned the buckram and taffeta shell over the leather and let it dry.

Once the rostro was dry, I placed the mask over my own face to mark the position of the eyes. The Beken painting I used did not seem to show any apertures for the eyes, nor was such an opening mentioned in Bernis; however, I opted to assume that the wearer was intended to see, and cut two oval openings like the ones pictured in the Bertelli engraving at the beginning of this article.

I opted to stitch a wooden bead inside the mask rather than cutting an opening for the mouth. I based this on Mistress Belphoebe’s analysis of the mask belonging to the Lady Clapham doll in the Victoria and Albert Museum of London.

Notes:

Rabbit skin glue is remarkably strong and fast-bonding, allowing little time to reposition items if they are misaligned. This led to some accumulated slippage that makes the final product look off center. Next time, more pins.

Rose water has quite a strong odor, and was possibly not the best choice for the interior of the mask.

Bibliography

Beken, Hans van der. Viaje de la emperatriz Maria desde Praga, 1601. Madrid: Patrimonio Nacional, monasterio de las Descalzas Reales.

Bernis, Carmen. El traje y los tipos sociales en el Quijote. Madrid: Ediciones el Viso, 2001.

Bertelli, Pietro. Diversarum nationen habitus. Venecia, 1594.

Givet, Belphoebe de. "A 16^th Century 'Visard' Mask." Accessed online February 2009. http://www.houseffg.org/belphoebe/Research/Masks/Index.html

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Soap for the Hands

Original recipe:

Jabón para las manos Tomad una libra de jabón valenciano rallado y atadla en un paño grueso. Y ponedlo en una caldera de agua hirviendo, y cueza allí­ hasta tanto que se pare azul. Y desque cocido, tomad una escudilla de ello, y otra de miel, y otra de hiel de vaca, y media de zumo de lirio, y una escudilla de vinagre. Y ponedlo todo junto en una olla a cocer, y cueza hasta tanto que esté espeso, trayéndolo siempre a una mano. Y si quisiéredes hacerlo peloticas lo dejaréis cocer hasta que se pare duro.

–Manual de mujeres, #36

Translation:

Soap for the hands Take a pound of grated Valencian soap and bind in a thick cloth. And put it in a pot of boiling water, and cook it there until it’s turned blue. And while it is cooking, take an escudilla of it, and another of honey, and another of cow’s bile, and half the juice of a lily, and an escudilla of vinegar. And put it all together in a cook-pot, and cook it until it is thick, always stirring it. And if you want to make them into little balls, let it cook until it is hard.

First redaction:

1 lb grated Castile soap (see recipe in appendix)

16 oz. honey

16 oz. cow bile

16 oz. vinegar

2 oz. lily oil

Tie the grated soap into a cloth and boil it in water until completely melted (the water will develop a bluish cast, like milk, rather than "turning blue". Add the other ingredients and stir until the mixture thickens, then pour into a mold or shape into balls. Let dry for 1 week.

Grated soap 

Notes:

Unfortunately, my attempts to recreate the recipe as translated from the original source did not produce a usable soap. My first attempt resulted in a sticky mass that had to be pried out of the pot; I threw this batch away. For my second attempt, I reduced the additives by half. This mixture seemed more promising; however, the addition of the vinegar caused the mixture to rice. Ricing occurs when the fat solids separate from the oils and liquids in the soap and create a lightweight waxy mass. All attempts to rebatch this attempt failed.

Boiling soap in cloth

Finally, I turned to a soapmaking reference book and developed the following method that I believe comes close to replicating the intended product.

Second Redaction:

1 lb. grated Castile soap

8 oz. honey

2 oz. cow bile

8 oz. vinegar

2 tsp. bitter orange oil

Melt the soap in a double boiler over medium heat. Just before pouring into molds, add other ingredients and stir well to blend.

After molding, let set for 24 hours. Scoop the soft soap from the mold and roll into balls. Allow to dry for 3-5 days.

Appendix

Castile soap

12 oz lye

36 oz water

36 oz non-virgin olive oil

Pour water into a dedicated pitcher with a tightly-sealing lid. Measuring carefully and working slowly in a room with adequate ventilation, pour the lye crystals into the water. Stir with a wooden spoon until the lye is dissolved. Let the lye cool to between 100 and 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

While the lye is cooling, add the olive oil to a stainless steel cookpan and heat to 120 degrees. Balance the cooling lye and the heating oil until both are between 100F and 120F.

Slowly pour the lye into the oil, stirring constantly. Once the two are combined, either stir the mixture for 20 minutes to one hour by hand, or use a stick blender set on low. The mixture should be stirred until a spoon drawn across the surface leaves visible trails.

Pour the mixture into a mold, cover, wrap in a towel, and set aside in a warm spot for 48 hours. After the soap is set, turn it out of the mold and cut it into bars. Set the bars out to air for 2-3 weeks.

Castile soap

Valencian soap:

Valencian soap probably refers to Castile soap, a hard white olive oil soap widely manufactured in the kingdom of Castile and exported through Europe. In 1423, the city of Seville was granted a royal license for a monopoly on the production of soap; while Seville and Castile were not the only locations of soap factories, it is likely that the soap produced by other royal factories was the same (Carmona and Donoso, 3).

Cow bile:

Ox gall liquid

Bile acts to some extent as a detergent, helping to emulsify fats (increasing surface area to help enzyme action), and thus aids in their absorption in the small intestine. In the intestines, bile salts combine with phospholipids to break down fat globules in the process of emulsification by associating its hydrophobic side with lipids and the hydrophilic side with water. Emulsified droplets then are organized into many micelles which increases absorption. Since bile increases the absorption of fats, it is an important part of the absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins D, E, K and A.

Taurocholic acid, known also as cholaic acid, cholyltaurine, or acidum cholatauricum, is a deliquescent yellowish crystalline bile acid involved in the emulsification of fats. It occurs as a sodium salt in the bile of mammals. It is a conjugate of cholic acid with taurine. In medical use, it is administered as a cholagogue and choleretic. Hydrolysis of taurocholic acid yields taurine, a nonessential amino acid. For commercial use, taurocholic acid is manufactured from cattle bile, a byproduct of the meat-processing industry.

Deoxycholic acid, also known as deoxycholate, cholanoic acid, and 3?,12?-dihydroxy-5?-cholanate, is a bile acid. Deoxycholic acid is one of the secondary bile acids, which are metabolic byproducts of intestinal bacteria. The two primary bile acids secreted by the liver are cholic acid and chenodeoxycholic acid. Bacteria metabolize chenodeoxycholic acid into the secondary bile acid lithocholic acid, and they metabolize cholic acid into deoxycholic acid. There are additional secondary bile acids, such as ursodeoxycholic acid. Deoxycholic acid is soluble in alcohol and acetic acid. When pure, it comes in a white to off-white crystalline powder form. In the human body deoxycholic acid is used in the emulsification of fats for the absorption in the intestine.

Bile from slaughtered animals can be mixed with soap. This mixture, called bile soap, can be applied to textiles a few hours before washing and is a traditional and rather effective method for removing various kinds of tough stains (Olsen interview).

Bitter orange oil:

 Rose otto and bitter orange oil

I substituted bitter orange oil– also called Seville orange– for the lily oil due to cost and allergy considerations. Neroli oil is produced from the blossom of the bitter orange tree (Citrus aurantium); it is similar in scent to bergamot. Neroli oil is often used in aromatherapy to relieve tension and anxiety, and to increase circulation ("Bitter orange," 2). Orange blossom oil/water is mentioned in several recipes in the Libre del Coch and the Manual de Mujeres, and therefore is an acceptable period substitution for lily oil.

Weights and Measures:

Escudilla: (a small hemispherical cup) Escudilla, “Dish” is used in three ways in the text. First, it refers to a bowl.   Second, it is used as a synonym for “a serving”.  Many of the recipes say, “and this will make x number of escudillas“. Lastly, it is a measurement of volume, much like 19^th century recipes call for a “wineglass” or a “teacup” of a certain ingredient.  A recipe for preserved dates in Granado calls for “three pounds of water, or three escudillas” (Granado, 395) which seems to indicate that the escudillas of that time held about 16 fl. oz.  Studies of 15^th and 16^th century Iberian pottery found at archeological sites show that escudillas varied in size, with rim diameters ranging from 8 cm. to 15 cm. (about 3-3/8 to 6 inches), but 13-14 cm. (about 5-1/4 to 6 inches) seems to have been the most common. A modern bowl in my kitchen, whose shape and proportions are similar to illustrations of medieval escudillas has a rim diameter of 13-1/2 cm. and a capacity of 600 ml. (about 20 fl. oz.) (Nola, Libre del Coch).

Bibliography

Anonimo. "Jabón para las manos." Manual de mujeres en el cual se contienen muchas y diversas recetas muy buenas. Alicante: Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes, 1999. Accessed online February 2009. http://www.cervantesvirtual.com/servlet/SirveObras/01371074322363763092257/index.htm#saltapubli.

 "Bitter Orange." National Center for Complmentary and Alternative Medicine. April 2008. Accessed online February 2009. http://nccam.nih.gov/health/bitterorange/

Browning, Marie. Natural Soapmaking. New York: Sterling Pub. Co., 1999.

Carmona, Salvador and Rafael Donoso. "An institutional approach to the role of cost accounting in regulated markets: the case of the Royal Soap Factory of Seville (1515-1692)." Working paper. Getafe, Spain; Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, 2002.

 Grosso, Alicia. The Everything Soapmaking Book: recipes and techniques for creating colorful and fragrant soaps. Avon, Mass. : Adams Media, 2007.

Nola, Ruperto de. Libre del Coch, 1529. Trans. Brighid ni Chiarain. Accessed online February 2009. http://www.florilegium.org/files/FOOD-MANUSCRIPTS/Guisados1-art.html .

Olsen, Kim. Chemistry instructor. Personal Interview. Episcopal High School; Alexandria, VA, February 20