Tristan Quilt
Encyclopedia
The Tristan Quilt, sometimes called the Tristan and Isolde Quilt, is one of the earliest surviving quilts in the world.. Depicting scenes from the story of Tristan and Isolde, an influential romance and tragedy, it was made in Sicily
during the second half of the 13h century. There are at least two sections of the quilt, one of which is displayed in the Victoria and Albert Museum
's new Medieval and Renaissance Galleries, and the other in the Bargello
in Florence
. A third quilt, also depicting Tristan and Isolde, but not thought to be part of the V&A and Bargello examples, is held in private hands. The Tristan Quilts are the only known surviving examples of medieval quilts.
, stitched together without wadding
in between. Backstitch
in cream and brown linen thread defines a series of pictures with captions that have been brought into relief
by inserting rolls of cotton
stuffing to raise sections of the design, a technique known as trapunto. The stuffing could have been introduced during the quilting process, or because the backing layer is looser in weave, its threads could have been parted to introduce the stuffing; some elements are done using cord quilting.
"), and the battle of Tristan
on behalf of King Mark of Cornwall
. The foliage on the quilt includes ivy
and grape vines
, a reference to the plants that grew and intertwined from the tombs of the doomed Tristan and Isolde. The scenes on the V&A quilt are not in their original order, having been re-arranged at some point. Each scene has a caption in Sicilian dialect.
There are six scenes in the central section of the V&A quilt, with a border of four leaf clovers:
There are also eight scenes in the border. Along the lower edge are two scenes:
On the left side, from the top:
On the right side, from the top:
The Bargello quilt has eight scenes and is made from three longitudinal strips joined together. Some of the scenes on the Bargello quilt portray Tristan leaving his foster father's court to go to Mark of Cornwall; the meeting of Tristan with Morholt for combat; and their fight on horseback.
A third quilt in a private collection, thought to be from the same atelier but not actually part of these two quilts, includes a central medallion showing Tristan and Isolde on a field of fleur de lis.
The Bargello quilt measures 2.47m high by 2.07m wide.
. This third fragment, known as the Pianetti or Azzolini quilt, is in private hands and is thought to come from the same source as the V&A and Bargello quilts.
The textile historian Sarah Randle argues that the two quilts were originally one large quilt, measuring a monumental 6 metres high by 4 metres wide, and that significant sections are missing. Randle's plan for the quilt suggests that the scenes would have been arranged counter-clockwise in the border, with the central images paired and reading bottom to top. Ultraviolet
light tests on the Bargello quilt revealed traces of calcium on the reverse, which could have come from its use as a wall hanging.
of the Guicciardini family. The inventories of the Guicciardini family do not include a definitive reference to the quilts, but do mention "three quilted bedcovers".
The V&A quilt, according to its museum number (1391-1904), was acquired in 1904.
The Bargello acquired their quilt in July 1927 from Count Paolo Guicciardini, to whose family it is believed the quilt had always belonged.
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
during the second half of the 13h century. There are at least two sections of the quilt, one of which is displayed in the Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
's new Medieval and Renaissance Galleries, and the other in the Bargello
Bargello
The Bargello, also known as the Bargello Palace or Palazzo del Popolo is a former barracks and prison, now an art museum, in Florence, Italy.-Terminology:...
in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
. A third quilt, also depicting Tristan and Isolde, but not thought to be part of the V&A and Bargello examples, is held in private hands. The Tristan Quilts are the only known surviving examples of medieval quilts.
Material and construction
The quilt is made from two layers of linenLinen
Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather....
, stitched together without wadding
Wadding
Wadding is a disc of material used in guns to seal gas behind a projectile or to separate powder from shot.Wadding can be crucial to a gun's efficiency, since any gas that leaks past a projectile as it is being fired is wasted. A harder or more carefully designed item which serves this purpose is...
in between. Backstitch
Backstitch
Backstitch or back stitch and its variants stem stitch, outline stitch and split stitch are a class of embroidery and sewing stitches in which individual stitches are made backward to the general direction of sewing...
in cream and brown linen thread defines a series of pictures with captions that have been brought into relief
Relief
Relief is a sculptural technique. The term relief is from the Latin verb levo, to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is thus to give the impression that the sculpted material has been raised above the background plane...
by inserting rolls of cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
stuffing to raise sections of the design, a technique known as trapunto. The stuffing could have been introduced during the quilting process, or because the backing layer is looser in weave, its threads could have been parted to introduce the stuffing; some elements are done using cord quilting.
Subjects
The imagery on the quilt is based upon chapters 17-19 of a 14th century novella, La Tavola Rotonda o L'Istoria di Tristano which describes the oppression of Cornwall by Languis of Ireland and his champion Amoroldo (a variation on "MorholtMorholt
In Arthurian legend, Morholt is an Irish warrior who demands tribute from King Mark of Cornwall until he is slain by Tristan, Mark's nephew and defender. He appears in almost all versions of the Tristan and Iseult story, beginning with the verse works of Thomas of Britain and Béroul...
"), and the battle of Tristan
Tristan
Tristan is one of the main characters of the Tristan and Iseult story, a Cornish hero and one of the Knights of the Round Table featuring in the Matter of Britain...
on behalf of King Mark of Cornwall
Mark of Cornwall
Mark of Cornwall was a king of Kernow in the early 6th century. He is most famous for his appearance in Arthurian legend as the uncle of Tristan and husband of Iseult, who engage in a secret affair.-The legend:Mark sent Tristan as his proxy to fetch his young bride, the Princess Iseult, from...
. The foliage on the quilt includes ivy
Ivy
Ivy, plural ivies is a genus of 12–15 species of evergreen climbing or ground-creeping woody plants in the family Araliaceae, native to western, central and southern Europe, Macaronesia, northwestern Africa and across central-southern Asia east to Japan and Taiwan.-Description:On level ground they...
and grape vines
Vitis
Vitis is a genus of about 60 species of vining plants in the flowering plant family Vitaceae. The genus is made up of species predominantly from the Northern hemisphere. It is economically important as the source of grapes, both for direct consumption of the fruit and for fermentation to produce...
, a reference to the plants that grew and intertwined from the tombs of the doomed Tristan and Isolde. The scenes on the V&A quilt are not in their original order, having been re-arranged at some point. Each scene has a caption in Sicilian dialect.
There are six scenes in the central section of the V&A quilt, with a border of four leaf clovers:
- 1: MorholtMorholtIn Arthurian legend, Morholt is an Irish warrior who demands tribute from King Mark of Cornwall until he is slain by Tristan, Mark's nephew and defender. He appears in almost all versions of the Tristan and Iseult story, beginning with the verse works of Thomas of Britain and Béroul...
, bearing a fleur-de-lisFleur-de-lisThe fleur-de-lis or fleur-de-lys is a stylized lily or iris that is used as a decorative design or symbol. It may be "at one and the same time, political, dynastic, artistic, emblematic, and symbolic", especially in heraldry...
shield, is shown shooting with a bowBow (weapon)The bow and arrow is a projectile weapon system that predates recorded history and is common to most cultures.-Description:A bow is a flexible arc that shoots aerodynamic projectiles by means of elastic energy. Essentially, the bow is a form of spring powered by a string or cord...
whilst on horseback in a boat. A pagePage (servant)A page or page boy is a traditionally young male servant, a messenger at the service of a nobleman or royal.-The medieval page:In medieval times, a page was an attendant to a knight; an apprentice squire...
rows the boat. Caption: (How the Morholt wounded Tristan) - 2: A castle with a king and queen and a third person looking out, possibly Languis and Lotta and their daughter Isolde waiting for Morholt. Partial caption: (...in Ireland)
- 3: Tristan, with a three-horned shield, fights Morholt on an island. Caption: (How Tristan wounded Morholt in the head)
- 4: A page with a saddled horse. Caption: (How the Morholt's page waited for his master)
- 5: A ship being pushed away by Tristan's foot. Caption: (How Tristan struck his boat behind him into the sea)
- 6: Tristan with his horse and shield. Caption: (How Tristan awaits Morholt on the isle Sanza Ventura in the sea)
There are also eight scenes in the border. Along the lower edge are two scenes:
- 7: Mark of CornwallMark of CornwallMark of Cornwall was a king of Kernow in the early 6th century. He is most famous for his appearance in Arthurian legend as the uncle of Tristan and husband of Iseult, who engage in a secret affair.-The legend:Mark sent Tristan as his proxy to fetch his young bride, the Princess Iseult, from...
receives a letter from two kneeling ambassadors while Tristan stands behind them. Caption: (How the ambassadors are come to King Mark for the tribute of seven years) - 8: The ambassadors, in a ship rowed by soldiers and bearing a fleur-de-lis banner. Caption: (How Languis sent to Cornwall for the tribute)
On the left side, from the top:
- 9: A ship, bearing fleur-de-lis banners with a man blowing a boatswain's call in the poop deckPoop deckIn naval architecture, a poop deck is a deck that forms the roof of a cabin built in the rear, or "aft", part of the superstructure of a ship.The name originates from the French word for stern, la poupe, from Latin puppis...
. Caption: (How Morholt came to Cornwall with forty galleys) - 10: Tristan giving his glove to Morholt. Caption: (How Tristan gives the glove of battle to Morholt)
- 11: A CornishCornish peopleThe Cornish are a people associated with Cornwall, a county and Duchy in the south-west of the United Kingdom that is seen in some respects as distinct from England, having more in common with the other Celtic parts of the United Kingdom such as Wales, as well as with other Celtic nations in Europe...
nobleNobilityNobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
paying money to seven of Morholt's men. Caption: (How Morholt made the people pay)
On the right side, from the top:
- 12: A ship bearing a fleur-de-lis banner with Morholt in the poop deck with a man blowing a boatswain's call. Caption: (How Morholt comes to Cornwall)
- 13: King Languis, with three nobles behind him, gives a letter to two kneeling ambassadors, while Morholt stands behind them. Caption: (How King Languis ordred that the host should go to Cornwall)
- 14: Morholt, with a mace, with a heraldHeraldA herald, or, more correctly, a herald of arms, is an officer of arms, ranking between pursuivant and king of arms. The title is often applied erroneously to all officers of arms....
blowing a trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
. Caption: (How Morholt made the host go to Cornwall)
The Bargello quilt has eight scenes and is made from three longitudinal strips joined together. Some of the scenes on the Bargello quilt portray Tristan leaving his foster father's court to go to Mark of Cornwall; the meeting of Tristan with Morholt for combat; and their fight on horseback.
A third quilt in a private collection, thought to be from the same atelier but not actually part of these two quilts, includes a central medallion showing Tristan and Isolde on a field of fleur de lis.
Dimensions
The V&A quilt measures 320cm high by 287cm wide. These measurements were verified in 2006 when it was prepared for display in the new Medieval and Renaissance Galleries.The Bargello quilt measures 2.47m high by 2.07m wide.
Purpose
Recent research suggests it is more likely the quilts were made as a pair of wall hangings, and subsequently altered. Some sources state that there was a third quilt, believed to have been made for the royal Capetian House of AnjouCapetian House of Anjou
The Capetian House of Anjou, also known as the House of Anjou-Sicily and House of Anjou-Naples, was a royal house and cadet branch of the direct House of Capet. Founded by Charles I of Sicily, a son of Louis VIII of France, the Capetian king first ruled the Kingdom of Sicily during the 13th century...
. This third fragment, known as the Pianetti or Azzolini quilt, is in private hands and is thought to come from the same source as the V&A and Bargello quilts.
The textile historian Sarah Randle argues that the two quilts were originally one large quilt, measuring a monumental 6 metres high by 4 metres wide, and that significant sections are missing. Randle's plan for the quilt suggests that the scenes would have been arranged counter-clockwise in the border, with the central images paired and reading bottom to top. Ultraviolet
Ultraviolet
Ultraviolet light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays, in the range 10 nm to 400 nm, and energies from 3 eV to 124 eV...
light tests on the Bargello quilt revealed traces of calcium on the reverse, which could have come from its use as a wall hanging.
History
It is believed that the quilts were made to be given as a wedding gift to Pietro di Luigi Guicciardini and Laodomia Acciaiuli in 1395. The three hunting horns on Tristan's shield are the coat of armsCoat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
of the Guicciardini family. The inventories of the Guicciardini family do not include a definitive reference to the quilts, but do mention "three quilted bedcovers".
The V&A quilt, according to its museum number (1391-1904), was acquired in 1904.
The Bargello acquired their quilt in July 1927 from Count Paolo Guicciardini, to whose family it is believed the quilt had always belonged.