Marianne Vedeler: Medieval clothing and contemporary depictions in art
Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo
Depictions of clothing are not the same as real clothing made for use. The two categories of objects are made for different purposes, and they are often used differently in social communication.
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the relationship between medieval clothing and the representation of clothing in images and sculpture. Can we regard depictions of clothing, as we see them it in the beautiful medieval sculptures and altar frontals, as representations of clothing as worn by medieval men and woman in daily life? A systematic comparison of preserved clothing with contemporary depictions shows that there are substantial differences between these groups of objects. In depictions of clothing in religious art, symbols of gender and social status seem to be used only when it has a function in a broader context. A comparison shows that these depictions in art do not necessarily reflect real clothing and their expressions of social signals.
The focus in this paper is primarily on artifacts dated between 1100 and 1400 ac, found within the borders of medieval Norway.