Split Stitch Faces 29th July 2020

Thank you most graciously for comments on here.  It’s what I needed a couple of days ago when etc etc.

Ok, so real life impinged on needlework for a couple of days, but I won’t bore you that.

Here is the link to the images I’m working from:

Opus Anglicanum split stitch facesMedieval Textiles

I’m glad I’ve found theses, as they are very clear.

I really think that as these items are rotting and fading away, we have a duty to photograph them as clearly as possible, for others as well as our ourselves.

I’m just going to bullet point my observations, as my eyes are tired and I need to save time.

I noticed something ages ago, that I think are confirmed in this example and that is that the faces are possibly under stitched.....?

They young angel (I think it’s an angel) has a very interesting forehead, temple and chin.

His hair started to get me thinking. It’s not perfectly flat.

The circular stitching of his cheek is indented and forms a shadow.  This happens on the monk’s face too.

I can see the circular stitching on those cheeks are not circles, but begin with a triangular formation and work outwards as ovals, with no reserve return row in preliminary shaping.  More later...

The shadows between stitches and lines of stitches on the faces, are not dark enough to indicate a single layer of stitching, in my view.  The forehead, temple and chin of the angel confirm this for me, but I need to do more comparative replicas.

The angel’s forehead clearly shows areas of under stitching perpendicular to the surface work.  In my view this is to direct smoothness and ultimately reflection of light.

Above the monk, there are fascinating circular formations that are rotted around the edge.  These examples of circles prove to me the cheeks, chin and foreheads were not made with circles, but less regular shapes, probably triangles, as the are triangular formations on the opposite cheeks, in three-quarter profile.

The circular formations above the monk show you exactly where they took their next stitch and what their modus operandi was.

The Virgin Mary (or lady saint) is quite rotted, but her wimple at the lower edges was not.  This area of her image is similar in its surface to the faces of the monk and the angel. This lends tremendous support, in my view, to the possibility that those areas were under stitched.

Why under stitch?  In my opinion is was done to make faces even more opaque (so they might glow) and as a base for further stitches to create modelling of faces, especially when viewed in candlelight or sunlight.  Also to ensure the face would last longer. The fastest rotting occurs where silk is thin.
The longer an image can last, especially of a face, the longer the piece will retain its usefulness and....value.

The hair of the angel and monk are, in my view ‘raised’ as the curling sections are stitched over earlier stitches,  not around them.  This style of working is very creative and indicates they were in complete control of where the light will fall and what will appear in relief.

The mouths are made up of three layers of stitching, if not more.  The dark lips are set back in shadow, while upper and lower edges of lips are areas of raised ‘skin’.  There are four kinds of stitches used.

Comments most welcome.