The previous parts of this research have discussed Tallerbarret's and Split Brim hats, Star fish and upright brim hats, and multiple ideas on constructing the hat crowns. The fourth, and final part, will examine the decorations on the hats featured in The Virtues. This discussion will also examine the art work within the cultural context to ensure this artwork is reflective of wider society and the information can be extrapolated beyond this context. This part of the analysis is important as many allegorical hats (and clothes) are not representative of what was worn at the time, being either a fantasy creation of the artist or an artists impression of 'ancient' clothing. I'm of the opinion in the SCA, that if you can find it and make it, you should wear it. You should also be aware of its history and context so when asked why you're wearing a beautifully absurd hat, you can explain it's origins and inspire others.
Again, a lengthy and picture heavy post which can be found under the jump cut.
Of the many types of headgear worn in the Virtues, there are 6 unique hats, 13 split brim hats, 9 variously wrapped turbans, 8 men in haubes, 5 ladies wearing steuchlein, 4 helmets, 3 upright brim hats, 2 straw hats, a crown and a laurel wreath. There is also one rebel who avoids hat hair and lets his curls hang free. It would be easy to conclude that plain split brim / star fish hats are the majority and therefor would be the most common hat of the era. I think that conclusion is both too simplistic and too easy. If I had the inclination and the resources I'd investigate the Virtues and find out the history of the artist, his previous works, the patron (Charles V) and the political context of the time. Given my inclination to know all the things, this sort of investigation would probably end up looking like an honours thesis. As I don't have the time or resources to complete a full investigation to my preferred depth, I'll make some broader assumptions based on what I do know.
Art production of the Renaissance was often patron based and highly political. Artists would feature the wealthy within religious imagery or allegories as a form of flattery or as a way of advertising their patrons. In the case of the Virtues, all of the unique hats, bar one, are worn by the largest figures, those on horseback. The Virtues feature a parade led by Charles V, who bears the pseudo-tricorn. Next to him, is his recently deceased grandfather, Emperor Maximilian I who sports the laurel wreath. Behind them walks Maximilian's court jester, Kunz von der Rosen (aka Conrad von der Rosen) holding a halberd and wearing one of the upright brim hats. Following Charles is Duke George of Saxony (wearing a haube) and Count Palentine Frederick the II (in the stitched together split brim hat). According to The Met, one of the men to the right of the arch, is Willibald Perkheimer who was a well known humanist. With two candidates to chose from, I don't know which one he is as neither match the various portraits I can find of him. Below Charles V, Franz von Sickingen, a reformationist, struggles in the river. Again, from what I can find on Franz, I'm not sure which individual he is.
Given the public nature of this artwork, it makes sense that the key figures have unique identifiers to ensure the message is conveyed to the patron's contemporaries. For this reason, it would have been important to distinguish the Turks (turbans) and the courtiers (split brims) from the important characters (unique hats). It may be theorized that some of the court ladies are known for sporting specific hats or favoring a certain styles, such as the woman with the ties on her hat. Easily accessible documentation on these ladies is very scarce unfortunately. I suspect the lady who looks like her hat has been converted into a crown may be a late addition of Isabella, Charles V's wife, as they married 6 years after the Virtues were completed. The angles and proportions in this carving are amazingly balance yet the crown doesn't quite work. It appears to run along her head rather than sit upon it. It's easy to visualize a circular hat in it's place along with feathery plumes which have now been converted into an odd amalgamation of rocks
31 - Isabella? - Was this once a split brim hat which has been converted to a crown?
After a brief review of the people featured in the Virtues, I cannot conclude that plain hats were a public majority and fancy hats only worn by the uppercrust. Nor, at this point, can I state that the fancy hats depicted were worn at the time and aren't a figment of the artists imagination. To make broader conclusions, additional external references are required. Where possible, I've found portraits of individuals wearing hats like those in this carving and further support them with woodcuts of Landsknechte in similar hats. I've tried to use character portraits from just prior to the carving to ensure that the portraits don't reference the Virtues.
I'm being quite cautious of relying on the Landsknechte woodcuts as a representative reference. As a group, the Landsknechte would have made a wonderful artistic study with their gaudy clothing. As subject matter, the features of the characters are unlikely to have been reproduced by the artists multiple times. In other words, the images captured will have a bias towards the unique and visually appealing. It is important to remember that the density of styles of the Landsknechte woodcuts will not necessarily be representative. I have collated a collection of Landsknechte hats from woodcuts here, Rather than pick apart their individual merit, some of the woodcuts will be presented here to support my theory that fancy hats were not restricted to nobility. This theory rests upon the idea that the Landsknechte themselves were not royalty but mostly foot soldiers, pike men and halbardeers.
32 - A single figure in a crowd scene with a slightly fancy hat.
There is one unique hat on a background character in the top right court scene (32). He sports the split brim hat with the ribbon or fabric woven around the band. He must have his own story as he isn't just filling the background court space, instead, he leans forward and engages the couple to the far right in conversation. His posture allows him to exert influence over more of the carving than those around him. He is also unique in that he isn't partnered with anyone which appears to be a deliberate choice as there is ample room for an additional figure.
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| 33 - Charles V by Barend van Orley, 1516. | 34 - Charles V by Barend van Orley 1515-1516. I've equalized the colour histogram to increase the contrast on the hat features |
At first I thought the background character was a representation of Charles V given the tent in the background sports the same device as the trappings on Charles' horse. The guy also has a protruding beard which one could assume is covering the distinctive Hapsburg jaw. Image 33 and 34 predate the Virtues by a few years. Both are by Barend van Orley, and are probably painted from the same sitting of the monarch. They feature Charles V (would you believe the chin is understated?) wearing a lovely ribbon bedecked hat. The ribbon appears to have been tied on with thick laces ending in toblerone shaped tippets, Image 34, the earlier portrait, has two buttons or pins which appear to fasten a join in the hat brim. Unfortunately, though these portraits confirm the concept of ribbon or fabric decoration on the hat brims, the guy wearing it in the Virtues is unlikely to be Charles V. The first contrary evidence is the fellow's curly hair. While the artist may have replicated a character in order to tell the a story, he's unlikely to change identifiable features of his patron. The other, more compelling evidence, is the circular brooch, seen on Charles' hat in both portraits as well as on the carving of Charles V and Frederick II, is absent from the the fellow in the crowd scene. Either way, the portraits of Charles pre-dating the Virtues indicate that decoration with cloth or ribbon was a current statement and the portraits provide additional suggestions on how the ribbon was affixed.
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35 - (L) Underbrim fabric. (R) A landsknecht wearing a hat with long feathers by Jost de Negker. 1525-1530. British Museum, 1845,0809.1712
The hat worn by the landsknecht in image 35 suggests that the decorative fabric is applied to the individual flaps of the hat. The loops of the star fish can easily be seen and as in the Virtues, no fabric appears to link the gaps. The detail makes the ribbon (?) appear lighter than the hat fabric as the puff is finely gathered at the edges.
Cut outs & Brim slashes
36 - (L) Under-brim cutout. (M) Two landsknecht playing at dice by Jost de Negker, 1525-1530. British Museum 1845,0809.170.9 (R) Five Lansquenets by Daniel Hopfer. 1510. British Museum 1845,0809.1351
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36 - (L) Under-brim cutout. (M) Two landsknecht playing at dice by Jost de Negker, 1525-1530. British Museum 1845,0809.170.9 (R) Five Lansquenets by Daniel Hopfer. 1510. British Museum 1845,0809.1351
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37 - (L) Brim slashed hat. (R) Landsknecht turned to the left by Jost de Negker. 1525-1530. British Museum, 1845,0809.1723
I've bundled the two types of brim slashed hats into one group as they would be very similar in construction. I first wondered if underbrim slashing was artistic licence to frame the face and add interest to the hat when the back can't be seen. I've dismissed this idea, because the same theory can be applied to top of brim slashing yet in the two Landsknecht woodcuts, the under and top of the brim can be seen and only one side is decorated. My woodcut collection is dominated by de Negker's work but the contribution by Hopfer suggests this style is utilised by more than one artist.
Ties
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38 - (L) Ties to secure slashed brim. (M) Landsknecht met een glas by Hans Rudolf Manuel Deutsch, 1547, Rijks Museum, RP-P-OB-21.685 (R) Single tie Portrait of a young man, Lucas Cranach the Elder, 1521. Staatliches Museum. 1990-18.
In the case of tied hats, I have only found one mid century woodcut that unquestionably shows this feature. Jost de Negker has show one tie in a hat, however it appears to be securing the split brim rather than reinforcing the slashes. Slashed and tied hats can be found in contemporary portraiture so I believe this is still a valid style of the time.
Parcel Hats
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There are extremely limited landsknect woodcuts featuring parcel hats. The one above is one of the few I could find yet it's still not sewn together. One possible reason for the lack of crown evidence is that Landsknect hats rarely show the back of the head / crown of the hat. The crown is also often obscured by plentiful feathers. I have found an additional two that might be parcels crowns (here and here) but can't say for sure.
Summation:
The hats featured in The Virtues can be found in both woodcuts of the Landsknect as well as contemporary portraits. This supports the theory that the fancy hats are not restricted to the upper class, rather they are an artistic method of highlighting and identifying individual characters in the carving. While the identity of many of the key figures has been documented by historians, I have found little to indicate who the women are. As they wear three of the hat styles, it would be nice to know how they fit into the artistic vision. Interestingly, the hat designs appear to be unisex. A number of the base designs (split brim tellerbarrets) found on the Landsknect soldiers can be seen on Saxon ladies in various portraits ( See Lucas Cranach the Elder). To conclude, the hats in The Virtues can be found in other mediums created by many other artists which lends weight to the idea they are a true representation of hats available at the time rather than allegorical fantasy headwear.
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