medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
I would agree that the early Franciscans wore undyed wool (which is what the
habit attributed to St. Francis at Assisi looks like to me. But I would
demur that today brown is worn by whatever branch the Franciscan belongs to.
Orders are very proud of their distinctive habits and branches perhaps more
so (see Erasmus's amusing screed on this issue in The Praise of Folly).
Conventuals still wear black, Capuchins brown , Observants a darker brown
and so on and so on.
jw
-----Original Message-----
From: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Chris Laning
Sent: Friday, February 21, 2003 6:27 PM
To: John Wickstrom
Subject: Re: Franciscan habit colour - grey or brown
medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
I can't cite sources at the moment, but my understanding is that the
original habits were supposed to be "ash colored," which could be more
grayish or more brownish depending on which shades (and in what proportions)
of the natural colors of wool happened to be in the mix when it was spun and
woven. St. Clare's mantle, pieces of which were used to patch one of St.
Francis's cowls, is about halfway between light gray and brown (though of
course it may have faded with time).
After the split in the 16th century, and perhaps even before, I would
suspect that depicting Francis in a decidedly gray or brown habit might well
have spoken of the ideological affinities of the artist or patron :).
I believe also that the Conventuals by this time were wearing black. And of
course in the present day, brown has become so strongly linked with the
Franciscans that I believe it's the commonest color now, regardless of which
branch the wearer is from. (Apologies for off-the-top-of-my-head guesswork;
I'm at work, my references, such as they are, are at home.)
BTW, if anyone knows of works specifically about the clothing of medieval
religious orders, I'd love to have citations. Desiree Koslin's PhD
dissertation (which I have) is about the only one I know of.
____________________________________________________________
0 Chris Laning
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+ Davis, California
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