Girdles, or belts, were worn by both men and women in the Medieval period. From the mid-fifteenth century, fashionable women wore girdles like this that were broad and short, and worn high on the ribcage, over a houppelande, a full-skirted, long-sleeved outer robe. Girdles owned by the wealthy were made of fine and costly fabrics and often embellished with silver or gold decorative fittings along their length. The elaborately-worked buckles and strap ends were usually decorated with enamels or niello, often with a family coat-of-arms, or inscriptions, like this one. The inscriptions here are playful and emphasize the enjoyment of life, such as 'strength in wine' and 'love and desire'.
Physical description
Girdle and fittings, tablet-woven cloth of gold with buckle and strap end in silver gilt, enamel and niello, with 18 flower-shaped silver gilt mounts.
The fabric is decorated with curving branches, lobed leaves and flowers, set against a chequered ground, with integral borders of a stylised rope design.The design of the fabric of this girdle suggests a date of the second half of the fifteenth century and could be as late as 1500. An early example of a lampas cloth of gold woven with a fine, dense pattern, and incorporating a "chequered" effect can be seen in the chasuble of Pius II (Pope 1458-1464) in the Diocesan Museum, Pienza (Ill. Devoti, D, L'Arte del Tessuto in Europa, Milan, 1974, fig.92). Lucca or Venice have been suggested as possible origins for the girdle.
Place of Origin
Italy
Date
ca. 1450 (made)
Artist/maker
Unknown
Materials and Techniques
Gold brocade; silver, silver gilt; enamel; niello
Marks and inscriptions
"'VIRTUS VINO'" 'Strength in wine' Inscribed on the buckle, in Latin
"'AMOR. E. VOL'" 'Love wants' Inscribed on the buckle, in Latin
"'SPERA. IN. DIO'" 'Faith in God' Inscribed on the buckle, in Latin and Italian
Dimensions
Height: 154.5 cm
Width: 6.8 cm
Measured for the Medieval and Renaissance Galleries
Object history note
Purchased for 40 pounds in 1857
Historical context note
This girdle is similar in quality to an examples associated with the Malatesta of Rimini: a girdle found in the tomb of Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta (d.1468). It is tablet woven velvet and single sided. (M. Flury- Lemberg, Textile Conservation and Research Abegg-Stiftung, Bern) Such expensive girdles would have been woven by single workers on small tablet looms. Their craft was separate to the production of larger luxury fabrics.
Decorative girdles such as this one were controlled in the 15th century by sumptuary laws. In Venice in 1476 girdles could not cost over 15 ducats. Both the goldsmith and the weaver could be fined 100 ducats and receive six months in prison for disobeying this law.(Bistort, G, Il Magistrato alle Pompe nella Repubblica di Venezia, Venice, 1912, reprinted Bologna, 1969, p.356)
Descriptive line
Girdle of gold brocade, the buckle and strap end of silver gilt and enamel, Italy, ca. 1450
Labels and date
The girdle was a powerful symbol of chastity within marriage and a treasured fashion accessory. This made it a popular gift for brides at all social levels. It was worn around the waist with one end hanging down in front. This one, with its original cloth of gold, has amorous and religious inscriptions on the buckle.
Materials
Silver; Gold; Enamel; Brocade; Niello
Techniques
Gilding; Weaving; Engraving (incising); Basse-taille
Categories
Jewellery; Metalwork
Collection code
MET
