medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Christopher Crocker wrote
>then there's that (apparent) carpet, which wouldn't have done much to
>warm the officiating priests' feet (since it would have quickly reached the
>ambiant temprature of the stone floor), but might have gone a significant way
>towards deadening the sound in the place.
In my kitchen, floored with vinyl tiles over concrete (?or stone), I have
an oddment of carpet to stand on when working in there in the winter.
Believe me, it makes a lot of difference. The quarter-inch of textile
provides a valuable layer of insulation between the cold, cold ground and
your thin-soled shoes.
Looking at the website image we are talking about
(http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/html/m/master/stgilles/gilles2.html )
I think the surface depicted on the steps before the altar is indeed an
Oriental carpet, probably either embroidered or knotted, and this would
offer a similar insulating layer of textile (wool) with air in it.
In domestic use (ie anywhere people lived, including palaces) at this date,
carpets were not usually put on the floor to walk on, although they were
occasionally shown under the subject's feet in a portrait as a piece of
ostentation. They were more usually displayed on a table or bench. They
were still rare, imported from the East and very, very expensive. Brocades
and other figured woven textiles were produced in Italy and then the rest
of Europe from suprisingly early but it took a lot longer to develop carpet
techniques, I'm not sure why. This made them an ideal offering for church
use, and explains the rioting canons of St Genevieve also referred to by Dr
Crocker.
Incidentally I'm sure there are other paintings of this incident from the
life of St Giles, and also one or more of a Mass of ?St Gregory at which
the crucified Christ appeared in the chalice to confound a doubting
acolyte, which also depict church interiors of the date, with hangings.
However attempts to chase them through the above website have been
unfruitful. Maybe someone else can think of better keywords to search on.
Best,
Pat
**********************************************************************
To join the list, send the message: join medieval-religion YOUR NAME
to: [log in to unmask]
To send a message to the list, address it to:
[log in to unmask]
To leave the list, send the message: leave medieval-religion
to: [log in to unmask]
In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to:
[log in to unmask]
For further information, visit our web site:
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion.html
|