ANNE WANNER'S Textiles in History   /  book reviews, articles
 
 

Wenig bekannt, aber hochgeschätzt, by Karin Thönnissen, in: die Heimat, Krefelder Jahrbuch, No 71, Nov. 2000, p. 75-81; black and white and colour illustrations, text in german language,
ISS 0342-5185

see also exhibition
 
  In this article in a first chapter, the city of Krefeld is presented, where since the second half of the 17th c. textile industry was established. A short history of the patterns of the vestment's fabrics is following. In the Rhinelands motives like pomegranate and stag were used. New designs in gothic style were executed by Vincenz Statz and Friedrich Stummel.
 
 

 
 

Very important was the medieval exhibition in Crefeld, established by Franz Bock (1823-1899). In a private theater he showed vestments, accessories and vessels. He also published a catalogue. In Bocks mind the medieval ornaments should be used as models and therefore he collected fabrics of this period.

The author then names vestment enterprises in Crefeld:
Friedrich Josef Casaretto, the first manufacturer founded his house in 1848.
Kleinbroich also produced fabrics for vestments.
20 years later, another exhibition was the reason to establish other houses, like:
- 1873 F.X. Dutzenberg
- 1876 Wolters & Ferlings
- 1882 Conrad Bister
- 1888 Wolters & Co
- 1889 Theodor Gotzes was a producer of velvets.
- 1893 he moved to a new house and here he produced vestments, silks and velvets

pink chasuable from St. Stephan, Krefeld
  The collection of Alexander Schnütgen served Gotzes for models. The painter Friedrich Stummel supplied him with designs. In 1893 Gotzes received a gold medal at the world exhibition in Chicago and another in 1900 in Paris.
After his death in 1907 at first his widow took over. From 1913-1936 an association of heirs run the business and until the 1970s vestments were produced.
   
  Hubert Gotzes, a distant relative of Theodor Gotzes, first worked as a silk weaver in Theodors factory. In 1905 he set up for independence. His 4 sons worked in his factory. In 1916 his son Matthias took the establishment over and when he died in 1935 his widow run the production.
In 1969 she gave the factory to Erwin Maus. But in 1992 when he retired, there was no successor. Thanks to foundations it was possible to save this monument of industry and it became open to the public.
 
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