Comments | elizabethcbunce: St. Catherine, Heroines, and Embroidery

elizabethcbunce

St. Catherine, Heroines, and Embroidery

May 15, 2011 17:36

One of my extremely-long-term projects has been a chemise based on Caravaggio's 1598 portrait of St. Catherine. For years now, I've been collecting books, trying to get a really good look at what's going on in the embroidery at her neckline. Today I discovered a brand-new (to me, anyway), high-quality image online.

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st. catherine, making, costuming

Comments 12

olmue May 15 2011, 23:42:26 UTC

That's really beautiful embroidery!

Not er, quite as high craft, but I always loved browsing the German embroidered...tape? Don't know what it's called, but with the ribbons and lace, you know. Somehow they have a much wider variety than I find here, both of that and of buttons.

When does Liar's Moon come out again? I needed a good mystery-fantasy the other night so I picked up Starcrossed again. Now I'm dying to find out what happens next. May is almost fall...right?

Stay warm!

elizabethcbunce May 20 2011, 16:42:29 UTC

Jacquard trim? (This sort of thing: http://www.karenskollars.net/collars/trim/jac/jacpurphaze.jpg) I am a sucker for that! In fact, that link is to a place that makes custom martingale collars for sighthounds, and when we had our greyhound, I found a trim *in my stash* that I actually liked better on Whistler than everything on her site! So I sent it to her and she used it.

LIAR'S MOON comes out in November!

deenaml May 15 2011, 23:59:14 UTC

It is beautiful! You must post pics of your efforts. :)

elizabethcbunce May 20 2011, 16:39:45 UTC

Will do! If I ever get that far!

operafantomet May 16 2011, 05:02:12 UTC

To me it looks like a curved line in gold, with two black "half moons" mirroring eachother on every other line. From our perspective the "half moons" are placed on the line going downwards to the right ( ... )

elizabethcbunce May 16 2011, 17:15:12 UTC

Not just the same model--the same dress! The first Mary Magdalene (with the mirror) is wearing the same gown as St. Catherine, which is great for costumers, since the front of the gown, covered by St. Catherine's raised arm, is visible in the Mary Magdalene portrait.

Have you seen the Repentant Magdalene in person? I've seen various reproductions of it, and in some the gown is kind of a greyed-down purple, and in others it looks sort of greenish blue.

operafantomet May 16 2011, 19:23:58 UTC

I've seen it in person, yes, but I cannot for my bare life remember what the colours were like. It's in the Doria Pamphilij palace in Rome, which is... well, not your standard museum. Lots of stuff everywhere, and some things hangs high on the wall. I'm currently in Rome, but I don't think I'll have a chance to stop by and see it.

I *think*, however, that a greyish purple is the correct hue. It seems to be consistent in all versions of the dress, whether they're brocaded or plain.

deva_fagan May 16 2011, 10:28:02 UTC

Ooo, can't wait to see your version! And that sounds like a fabulous exhibit. Love the description you quoted!

Hope you get some warmer weather soon!

elizabethcbunce May 20 2011, 16:38:36 UTC

Thanks, Deva! I got the museum catalogue today, but it's technically a birthday gift, so I probably won't get to report on it for another six weeks.

Embroidery... anonymous May 16 2011, 16:02:18 UTC

Beautiful! You may have already looked at the books that Dover Publishing puts out, but if not, here are a couple of examples:
http://store.doverpublications.com/0486452298.html
http://store.doverpublications.com/0486257878.html
http://store.doverpublications.com/by-subject-clip-art-in-books--pictorial-archive--borders--frames.html