Yes, sort of. As I understand it, "pineapple" in heraldic terms refers to pinecones and dates to at least the 14th c. When Europeans encountered the fruit around the 17th c. they named it after the pinecone.
Unfortunately I've lost access to the OED and whatnot due to system maintainance, so I can't give you any documentation. And I only know any of this because I am seriously considering registering a pinecone badge. ;)
The only irritating thing is that the museum is lumping pineapple/pinecone/thistle/lotus/pomegranate together and not providing any useful examples of each motif. It's vague if they're saying that they were all the same type of motif, or if they were distinguishable.
Drat that lumpingetaine_pommierJanuary 25 2010, 16:21:05 UTC
Quite annoying that they do, I agree!
What isn't documentable for textiles, AFAIK in the 14/15/16th c. is the crosshatching and the spear-like leaves that usually indicate a pineapple (as opposed to the others you mention, or the artichoke.) If the center motif looks like it has petals, it's usually OK.
As a pine cone, I have seen them woven, though not embroidered, in 15th/16th c. textiles. As actual pineapples (indicated cross-hatching, instead of the petaled effect) the earliest I have seen them is late 17th century.
They are often confused with an artichoke motif, which does have the petaled effect and is certainly documentable.
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Unfortunately I've lost access to the OED and whatnot due to system maintainance, so I can't give you any documentation. And I only know any of this because I am seriously considering registering a pinecone badge. ;)
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The only irritating thing is that the museum is lumping pineapple/pinecone/thistle/lotus/pomegranate together and not providing any useful examples of each motif. It's vague if they're saying that they were all the same type of motif, or if they were distinguishable.
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What isn't documentable for textiles, AFAIK in the 14/15/16th c. is the crosshatching and the spear-like leaves that usually indicate a pineapple (as opposed to the others you mention, or the artichoke.) If the center motif looks like it has petals, it's usually OK.
That said, embroidery may be different.
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http://www.history.org/Christmas/dec_pineapple.cfm
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They are often confused with an artichoke motif, which does have the petaled effect and is certainly documentable.
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