Report on the Textiles from Burgos Cathedral - Middelalder Centret

headwear can be found in most parts of Europe in
13th and 14th century. 6 Some of which, at least the
early styles of the 13th and early 14th century, may
have been made with the same methods as used for
the frilled headwear from 13th century Burgos.
Fig. 19-20
The exact placement and arrangement of the headwear
in situ is in far most cases no longer known, as this
was not documented during excavation. However,
most of the long, narrow strips of cloth were merely
wrapped around the crown of the head covering the
forehead or around the chin and cheeks framing the
face. Some of the pieces were apparently folded
around an understructure. Gomez-Moreno notes
that there was an understructure (hat) of animal
skin or parchment lined with linen on which the
lengthwise folded frilled band had been wrapped
around several times and pinned on, found in one
of the graves (Queen Eleonor’s) 7 , however, no
such was seen at the visite in Patrimonio Nacional.
A few pins from Queen Eleanor´s grave are now
kept at the Patrimonio Nacional in Madrid. 8 The
characteristic headwear known as Toque/Toca in
13th century Spain would need a tall understructure
on which the long streamers of silk or linen would
be folded around layer after layer leaving only the
frills visible. 9 Much like the appearance of the extant
pieces when folded together (Fig. 18b)
Although the Burgos-textiles appear as to be
more or less the same in regard to style and type,
and the overall method of constructing frilled
edges are basically the same (thicker edges on a
thinner midsection), the chosen samples shows
great variation in details. Technical details such as
colours, thread thickness and thread quality various
31
from piece to piece. The four main types that the
textiles could be grouped into in terms of technical
construction and visual appearance, shows that
many different methods, from simple crimping to
complicated weaves or combinations of the two,
could be used to create textiles with basically the
same look and appearance.
6 A. Gardner: Hair and head-dress 1050-1600. The Journal of the British Archaeological Association, Third Series,
Vol. XIII, 1950. London, 1950, pp. 4-13, E. Grönke & E.Weinlich: Mode aus Modeln. Kruseler- und andre Tonfiguren des 14.
Bis 16. Jahrhunderts aus dem Germanischen National Museum und andren Sammlungen. Verlag des Germanischen Nationalmuseum,
Nürnberg, 1998; A. Liebreich: Der Kruseler im 15. Jahrhundert. Zeitschrift für Historische Waffen- und Kostümkunde.
1. Band der neuen Folge, Jahrgang 1923-1925. p. 218 – 223, C. L. Dahl: Kruseler og Krusedug, Herolden, årg. 9, nr.
2, 2005, pp. 14-19, S. M. Newton, Stella Mary & M. M. Giza: Frilled Edges. Textile History, vol. 14: 2, 1983. The Pasold Research
Fund. Leeds, 1983, pp. 141-152, O. Rady, Ottilie: Der Kruseler. Zeitschrift für Historische Waffen- und Kostümkunde.
1. bd, Neuen Folge, Hft. 5. Jahr. 1923-25, p. 131-136, C. Tilghman: Giovanna Cenami’s Veil: A Neglected Detail. Medieval
Clothing and Textiles, vol. I, 2005. (Eds.) R. Netherton & G. R. Owen-Crocker. Woodbridge, 2005, p. 155-172.
7 Manuel Gomez-Moreno: El Panteón Real de las Huelgas de Burgos. Madrid, 1946, 27-28.
8 Information given by Concha Herrero Carretero.
9 Ruth Mathilda Anderson: Pleated Headdresses of Castilla and León, 12 th and 13 th centuries. Notes Hispanic. The
Hispanic Society of America, vol. II, 1942. New York, 1942, p. 67, Amalia Descalzo: El vestido entre 1170 y 1340 en el Panteón
Real de las Huelgas. In Vestiduras Ricas. Patrimonio Nacional, Madrid, 2005, 117-118..