Embroidered Collage

Goldwork.  Luscious embroidery.  Nicely encased in glass so I could get my nose and eyes only a few inches away.  I probably spent as much time in this room in the Treasury of the cathedral as I did in the rest of the cathedral.  It cost an extra couple of euros to go through the mini-museum, but it sounded interesting.  So I walked by and enjoyed paintings and silver and such until I was captivated by two large cases containing formal ceremonial robes.

I'd never been so close to the historical goldwork before, although I had seen recent embroidery in the same style.  Much of each design was done in couched gold wrapped thread and the rest in shaded silk embroidery in deep, rich colors.  I could tell how the embroidery had been done on a slip and then attached to the garment, even as I'd read about.  There were some nice variations on robes, as well as some shoes and pockets and hats.

I sat on the floor to take a closer look at a long tapestry that sparkled.  I was absolutely delighted to find that it was an extremely detailed embroidery.  There were stones in jewelers setting attached at key points.  There was a subtle use of gold throughout.  The stitches were varied more here than they had been on the clothing and I could pick out various laid work patterns in silk.  I enjoyed the viewing.