One of the other things I do is theology. Last night I attended a lecture at the Theological Courses of the Archdiocese of Vienna. (This is a wonderful organization that exists to train lay people. I learn Hebrew there, and enjoy the lecture series when my health allows.) The first question when arriving at the Kurhaus next to St. Steven's is where they have put the lecture. If lots of people are expected they use the big room right at the entrance. If fewer people are there, usually we are upstairs. This year the lift is being replaced, so that means climbing three flights of stairs, and like most old buildings in Vienna, the rooms all have high ceilings. It's a long climb. Last night we were in a smaller room, but on the ground floor. Missing the climb was enough reason to be pleased. But I'd been in that room before, and had nearly forgotten that an old antependium is hung in the corridor that leads to the room. Aaah!
Unfortunately there is no label, and I have not been able to find a date on the stitching. I would guess that it is about 100 years old. I would very much like to know more about it. I would also love a chance to get at it with needle and silk for long enough to stabilize some of the couching that is falling off. The rest of it is in very good condition. Also it is wonderful to be able to get really close without glass between me and the stitching.
The stitching is spectacular. The background is cream-coloured linen (? or cotton, but ecclesiastical things tend to use linen.) Some of the appliques are probably silk. The threads may be partly silk, but many are probably cotton. The parts I could study closely (the bottom fourth) used some goldwork techniques, but I don't remember seeing metallic threads.) Although the drawing is good, and the way the draperies are indicated is amazing, I am not impressed by the design of the whole. However, these things can look very different from a distance, and an antependium (altar frontal) can't be judged as close up as you are in a hallway.
The major figures are appliqued (after being embroidered?) There are also thickly stitched medallions that I would also assume were applied after stitching. Other stitching is done directly onto the background.
Most of the stitching is chain stitch, which changes to split stitch where a thinner line is needed. There is also a lot of couching, especially around the edges of appliques. Some areas have laid fillings. I think it must have been framed up before stitching and never removed from the frame. That's a favorite way of working these things, and I wouldn't dare move something with such long unsecured laid stitches off frame.
There are two towers stitched straight onto the background in very fine grey lines - they look like pencil drawings. They are too high for me to really examine the stitches, but they are tiny - under 2mm - and exquisitly accurate. If this is double running it is a lot neater than I can do it. (Never mind the stitch size which also boggles my mind.) However, backstitch would make the 'holes' more visible. And not split stitch either. I would like to get in there with a camera and take a picture just of one of the towers and try to copy it. But I'm not going to let my stitching be compared to whoever did this! I would use whipped backstitch with one strand to try and get the feel of pencil drawing.
Questions I would like to be able to answer:
- Was all the stitching done for this frontal, or where pieces taken off of previous pieces?
- Were the towers done by a different stitcher from the rest of the work? How many stitchers in all?
- Were the individual drawings done by different artist(s) than the total design?
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