More From Tideswell

[poliphilo]

We can't be sure who these ladies are but apparently they're older than the church that houses them. Aren't they elegant? One is dated c.1300 and the other c.1375. They've been placed rather awkwardly in the sanctuary of the Lady Chapel in a position where only the priest at the altar can see them properly. I had to climb over the altar rail to take these pictures. An act of trespass. But I am still a priest- yes I am: I may be listed in the archbishop's little black book, but they never defrocked me.

Comments

[pondhopper.livejournal.com]

Yes, indeed, quite elegant. I love the positioning of their arms and hands. Are those very large ears on the one on the left? And the one on the right does have a dog at her feet, doesn´t she?

I would also have trespassed with far less right than you.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Yes those are her ears. I can't quite make sense of what's going on round her head. I think she's wearing some sort of a hood and resting on a pillow, but I'm not sure.

The other has a dog (symbol of fidelity?) or at least I think it's a dog, but it's very badly worn.

[pondhopper.livejournal.com]

Yes, that´s rather much to be all hair around her head. It does look like a hood.

The other is dressed like a nun. She has a wimple around her head but that´s not 100% indicative of the sisterhood in medieval times. But she also looks like she´s wearing a veil and a scapular of sorts. It´s hard to reconstruct history from all that, though.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I'm no expert on medieval costume, but I think that dress is just too fancy to be a nun's habit. Also she's showing her hair at the temples.

[pondhopper.livejournal.com]

Also she's showing her hair at the temples.

Yes, I saw that. I´m no expert either. I just enjoy speculating about things like this.

There is a medieval costume museum in Burgos here in Spain. It´s in a monastery where many of the very early kings, queens and nobility are buried. Napoleon´s troops sacked the place and removed all the jewelry from the tombs. The clothing had been remarkably preserved because of the intense cold and dryness that is Burgos' climate. So quite recently, as recent goes, the tombs were re-opened, the bones sorted out and the clothing was removed and is now displayed in controlled conditions in a room in the monastery. It´s been an invaluable resource for anyone who studies medieval dress.

It´s quite amazing because of teh state of preservation.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

That sounds amazing. I'll have to Google it.

There's a scene in Bunuel's The Phantom of Liberty where a Napoleonic officer opens the tomb of a Spanish princess and falls in love with her perfectly preserved corpse. I should have realised (knowing Bunuel) it had a basis in historical fact. It comes just after the scene where the Spanish patriots go to their deaths- as some of them really did- shouting "long live chains".