I have recreated a few of the tablet woven pieces from the MoL Dress Accessories book and wanted to continue with a new project. No 1450, the hair piece with the silk filet caught my eye and I decided to recreate the tablet woven band, but without the fake braids.
Excavated piece
No 1450: a silk band, dated to the second quarter of the 14th century. The surviving piece is 1240 mm long* and 10 mm wide. It is woven with 26 tablets, 22 making up the pattern and 2 on each side making up the edge. The pattern is threaded with only 2 threads in each tablet and were turned alternately backwards and forwards. Group of holes recur at intervals of about 10 mm along the band indicating where mounts were positioned. These mounts appere to have an octofoil shape and were stitched rather than riverted.
*this a very long band, comparing to the pictures in the book, could this be a typo and the lenght should be 124 mm instead?
Illuminations
A number of illuminations show women with narrow band worn across the forehead as a headband and the hair plaited over the ears or shaped into fluffy buns. Some bands are decorated and some are plain. It is difficult to say if these bands are woven or if they are metal circlets.
Très belles Heures de Notre-Dame, f 67, Bibliothèque nationale de France, c. 1337-1400.
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b84496839/f86.item
Book of Hours, MS W 105, England, The Walters Museum, c. 1300-1400.
http://art.thewalters.org/detail/25556/book-of-hours/
Horae ad usum Parisiensem ou Petites heures de Jean de Berry, Bibliothèque nationale de France, c. 1375-1390
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b8449684q/f434
More on Pinterest
Resources
Dress Accessories, Egan & Pritchard (2004) Museum of London
Cristina's ramblings 
Leave a comment