The very surprising and brief return of the crinoline, 1920-30
A brief fashion was the return of the crinoline in the 1920s. In a period dominated by women abandoning their corsets and stiffened underskirts to instead don the tubular shapes, this is an example of different trends living side by side.
The 1910s also saw experiments with hip shapening, especially through Paul Poiret’s “Lamp Shade Tunic” (Sorbet) in 1913. But this was a part of his interest in theatrical “oriental” garments like the harem pants, turbans and Ballet Russe ensembles, and not necessarily something that widely caught on.
Many of the 1920s “crinoline” gowns were court gowns of different kinds, but with the amount in existence in museums around the world it appears the style was also adapted for non-court wear. It’s often referred to as “Robe de Style”.
Evening/court gown, ca. 1920, Boué Soeurs (with embroidery by Lesage). Kunstindustrimuseet/Design Museum Denmark, Copenhagen ( X).
Court presentation ensemble, 1928, The Metropolitan Museum of Arts, NYC (C.I.68.48a–e).
Evening gown, 1920s, The Metropolitan Museum of Arts, NYC ( X).
Court presentation ensemble, 1932-34 (?), Boué Soeurs. The Metropolitan Museum of Arts, NYC (2009.300.1251ab).
Evening/court gown, ca. 1920, Boué Soueurs. Worn by Countess Astrid Ahlefeldt-Laurvig. The skirt width indicates a stiffened underskirt would have been worn originally, and with it the dress would have been near identical to no. 3 and no. 8. Holbæk Museum, Denmark ( X).
Evening/court gown, 1925-28, Boué Soeurs. Palais Galliera, Paris ( X).
James Jebusa Shannon (1862-1923), Jungle Tales, 1895, oil on canvas, 87 x 113.7 cm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art - “Jungle Tales” portrays the artist’s wife reading to their daughter, Kitty, shown in profile, and another child. The painting’s title and date and its London origin suggest that the little group is captivated by Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book, which had appeared in 1894. The intensely realistic faces contrast with the decorative patterns of the dottedmuslin and lace costumes and the elaborate design on the brilliant blue backdrop. - Mysterious Art Century Instagram-Facebook-Twitter-Pinterest
Doorway from Moutiers-Saint-Jean Made in Burgundy, France circa 1250 Limestone
‘According to tradition, the monastery of Moutiers-Saint-Jean was founded by the first Christian kings of France, Clovis I and his son Clothar I. They are almost certainly depicted in the standing figures presenting their charters, now installed in the embrasures on either side of the portal. The small seated figures in the flanking niches represent biblical personages believed to prefigure or foretell Christ’s Crucifixion. The tympanum above the doorway depicts Christ crowning the Virgin as the Queen of Heaven. This portal, probably from the north aisle of the cloister, would have led from the monastic precinct into the abbey church. The portal suffered severe damage during the sixteenth-century Wars of Religion; the heads of the two kings may have been repaired in the seventeenth century.’
The doorway is in the collection of The Cloisters, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Description and image taken from the Met’s website, where you can zoom in on photos of the doorway.
Cloister from Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert French Late 12th c. Limestone
‘Situated in a valley near Montpellier in southern France, the Benedictine abbey of Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert was founded in 804 by Guilhem (Guillaume) au Court-Nez, duke of Aquitaine and a member of Charlemagne’s court. By the twelfth century, the abbey had been named in honor of its founder and had become an important site on one of the pilgrimage roads that ran through France to the holy shrine of Santiago de Compostela in Spain. With the steady visits of travelers en route to the shrine and the gifts they brought with them, a period of prosperity came to the monastery. By 1206 a new, two-story cloister had been built at Saint-Guilhem, incorporating the columns and pilasters from the upper gallery seen here. Most of these columns are medieval versions of the classical Corinthian column, based on the spiny leaf of the acanthus. This floral ornamentation is treated in a variety of ways. Naturalistic acanthus, with clustered blossoms and precise detailing, is juxtaposed with decoration in low, flat relief, swirling vine forms, and even the conventionalized bark of palm trees. Among the most beautiful capitals are those embellished by drill holes, sometimes in an intricate honeycomb pattern. Like the adaptation of the acanthus-leaf decoration, this prolific use of the drill must have been inspired by the remains of Roman sculpture readily available in southern France at the time. The drilled dark areas contrast with the cream-colored limestone and give the foliage a crisp lacy look that is elegant and sophisticated.
Like other French monasteries, Saint-Guilhem suffered greatly in the religious wars following the Reformation and during the French Revolution, when it was sold to a stonemason. The damages were so severe that there is now no way of determining the original dimensions of the cloister or the number and sequence of its columns. Those collected here served in the nineteenth century as grape-arbor supports and ornaments in the garden of a justice of the peace in nearby Aniane. They were purchased by the American sculptor George Grey Barnard before the First World War and brought to this country. A portion of the original cloister remains at Saint-Guilhem.’
The cloister is in the collection of The Cloisters, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Description and image taken from the Met’s website. You can see more photos of the cloister here on their site.
Capitals from the Cloister from Saint-Michel-de-Cuxa Catalan circa 1130-40 Marble
‘The Benedictine monastery of Saint-Michel-de-Cuxa, located at the foot of Mount Canigou in the northeast Pyrenees, was founded in 878. In 1791, Cuxa’s monks departed in the wake of the French Revolution, and much of the monastery’s stonework was subsequently dispersed. The monastery’s cloister, built during the twelfth century, originally measured some 156 by 128 feet, or approximately twice its current size at The Cloisters, much of whose architecture is modern. Like the ensemble from Saint-Guilhem, elements were purchased by George Grey Barnard and brought to the United States; part of the cloister survives at the monastery which, once again, houses a community of monks.
The cloister was the heart of a monastery. By definition, it consists of a covered walkway surrounding a large open courtyard, with access to all other monastic buildings. Usually attached to the southern flank of the church, a cloister was at the same time passageway and processional walkway, a place for meditation and for reading aloud. At once serene and bustling, the cloister was also the site where the monks washed their clothes and themselves.
The warm beauty of the native pink marble used at Cuxa harmonizes this cloister’s many elements, such as the varied capital sculptures carved during different periods in its construction. Some of these are fashioned in the simplest of block forms, while others are intricately carved with scrolling leaves, pinecones, animals with two bodies and a common head (a special breed for the corners of capitals), lions devouring people or their own forelegs, or a mermaid holding her tail. While many of these motifs may derive from popular fables or depict the struggle between the forces of good and evil, the conveyance of meaning seems to have been less important for the Cuxa artists than the creation of powerful works capturing the energy and tension between the forms depicted.’
Description and image taken from the Met’s website. You can see more photos of the cloister here on their site.
Workshop of Master Biduino (Italian, active last quarter of the 12th c.) Doorway from the Church of San Leonardo al Frigido circa 1175 Carrara marble and re-used antique sarcophagus
‘Dedicated to Saint Leonard, the patron saint of prisoners, this portal served as the main entrance of the small Church of San Leonardo al Frigido. An antique sarcophagus was reused for the supporting jambs on the sides of the door; it was carved to show scenes of the Annunciation and the Visitation on the left and an image of Saint Leonard holding an emblematic prisoner on the right. The Entry into Jerusalem on the lintel is modeled after an Early Christian tomb relief. The doorway is a product of the workshop of Master Biduino, who worked in the Pisa-Lucca area.’
The doorway is in the collection of The Cloisters, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Description and images taken from the Met’s website. You can see more images of the doorway (with zoom ability) here on their site.
**As a side note, this was one of the five works at The Cloisters I spent last summer developing a public gallery tour around. I’ll be posting the other four works soon so you can go on a virtual version of my tour if you’d like. My tour focused on architectural sculpture at The Cloisters. I hope you like it!
Gold armband with Herakles knot. Hellenistic, 3rd-2nd century BC, Greek, gold inlaid with garnets, emeralds and enamel. According to the Roman writer Pliny, the decorative device of the Herakles knot could cure wounds and its popularity in Hellenistic jewelry suggests that it was thought to have the power to avert evil. Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
