Marta Newman-Laguardia of the Antonio Ratti Centre in New York sent information about this centre, Lone de Hemmer Egeberg informs about TENEN, the Danish Society of Textile History. Karen Finch would be glad to get more information about a sampler, Christina Hargreave from Sidney asks about Polish caps.
Pat Griffiths writes about 2 new publications, I am adding a note on Tina Levey’s new book and on Dorit Koehler’s thesis.
Thank you all very much for these contributions. With best wishes for a nice and beautiful summer I remain, yours

Anne Wanner-JeanRichard
Textilmuseum / Vadianstrasse 2
CH-9000 St Gallen / Switzerland

general information:
No 8 / July 1998/ 2

change of adress:
Gudrun Sporbeck M.A., Klingelpuetz 16, 50670 Koeln, Tel. 0221-133784

The Antonio Ratti Textile Center, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Avenue,
New York, NY 10028-0198 joins the CIETA embroidery group. The information in this letter was sent by Marta Newman-Laguardia, Asistant Manager (see page 7)

Bayerisches Nationalmuseum Munich:
special exhibition:
Rom und Byzanz. Schatzkammerstuecke aus bayerischen Sammlungen:
Oct 20 1998 to Febr. 14 1999

13th June - 1 August 1998, at Fischer- und Webermuseum,
D-31515 Steinhude, Neuer Winkel 8, Tel.(05033)5599 or (05033)2222

exhibition of the
needlework of Clementine von Muenchhausen (1849-1913). In 1880 Boerries von Muenchhausen bought a renaissance castle and he restaured every room in another stile. His wife Clementine made embroideries for every room in the matchin stile. She reconstructed 160 pieces after motives from 4th c. to art nouveau. This work was shown around 1900 in german towns like Luebeck, Berlin, Dresden.

In the decades prior to the end of the First World War and the 1920s, St.Gallen embroidery was the most important area of Swiss exports. Alongside other European embroidery centres, St.Gallen remains one of the most important addresses in the embroidery trade.
The heyday of the St.Gallen linen industry from the 15th to the 17th centuries created the economic groundwork for the upswing of the embroidery industry from the 18th Various Eastern Swiss embroidery companies that are steeped in tradition still exclusively produce embroideries to this day. Other companies shifted their production from conventional cotton weaving and embroidery to printed fabrics, or made a name for themselves with innovative combinations of all sorts of materials and with good design.
The exhibition provides a sensuous experience of historical and present-day textile products: representative large-scale embroideries shown at the world exhibitions before 1900, and sumptuous garments. At the same time, interested visitors will gain an insight into and access to the complex interweaving of St.Gallen’s textile history. With its select views, objects, pictures, videos, titles and texts, this exhibition focusses on representative areas.

Life and work of Leonie von Wilckens (1921-1997)
researcher in the field of historic textiles
No 8 / July 1998/ 3

Curriculum:
- Born June 3rd 1921 at Sypniewo in Western Prussia
- Studies: history of arts, classical archeology, history and german studies in Bonn, Berlin, Munich and Florence from 1938 to 1943
- the Graduation in Munich at Hans Jantzen with: "Studien zum Fruehwerk Mantegnas"
- 1944-48 worked at Bayerisches Nationalmuseum (at first as a volunteer, afterwards Assistant Librarian)
- 1949-51 collaborated with Ludwig Grote on: Twentieth Century Art, which was the first large exhibition to be held in Munich after the 2nd world war.
- 1952-86 worked in the Germanic National Museum of Nuremberg, as a government curator

After her retirement Leonie von Wilckens lived and worked in Munich and here she died Dec 25th 1997.

As a curator of the Germanic National Museum in Nuremberg, Leonie von Wilckens was in charge of the collections of furniture, textiles, toys and jewellery. Some early publications were dedicated to toys in particular the doll’s houses of Nuremberg. But already by the 1950s she was involved with textiles and this became the most important part of her research work. She published many papers in journals and contributed to encyclopaedias and other part works and, after her retirement, in a series of catalogues and research works.

Some of her most important papers are:
- Die textilen Schaetze der Lorenzkirche zu Nuernberg, 1977
- Die Teppiche der Sebalduskirche zu Nuernberg, 1979
- Seidengewebe im Zusammenhang mit der heiligen Elisabeth, 1981
- Zur kunstgeschichtlichen Einordnung der textilen Grabfunde aus der Sepultur des Bamberger Domkapitels, 1987
- Mittelalterliche Seidenstoffe des Kunstgewerbemuseums Berlin, 1992
- Die mittelalterlichen Textilien des Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museums Braunschweig, 1994
- Der Paramentenschatz der Landsberger Jesuitenkirche Heiligkreuz, 1994
- Die textilen Kuenste von der Spaetantike bis um 1500, 1991 (first volume)
- Geschichte der deutschen Textilkunst vom spaeten Mittelalter bis in die Gegenwart, 1997 (second volume)

Fuller obituaries have been written by Dr. Birgitt Borkopp from Bayerisches Nationalmuseum, Munich:
- the coming CIETA - Bulletin of 1998,
- Deutsche Zeitschrift fuer Kunstgeschichte,
- Zeitschrift fuer Waffen- und Kostuemkunde

Dr. Jutta Zander-Seidel is preparing a detailed list of publications for the journal of the Germanic National Museum in Nuremberg.

Question by Christina Hargreave, Australia
traditionally embroidered Polish caps
No 8 / July 1998/ 4

question by Karen Finch
embroidered panel, Worchestershire
No 8 / July 1998/ 5

It contains some 200 designs on a linen fabric known as buratto. It is 84cm long and 33 cms wide, with 11 pairs of warp threads and 11 wefts to square centimetre. The embroidery yarn is crimson silk. Karen Finch will be talking about the sampler again in Manchester 4-6 Sept. 1998 (meeting of the Early Textiles study group). Her talk will be about the patterns and that they are separated into ancient and modern - hence the reason for the sampler being worked from both ends.
Karen Finch wonders whether one of the embroidery group members might know about the animal patterns and why they were of such special interest, that they were kept together in a group. Any information about any of the designs - as well as the origin of the fabric will be welcome.

from the collection of Textilmuseum St Gallen
embroidered panels, Italian red embroidery
No 8 / July 1998/ 6

fragmentary embroidery on buratto grond, Italian 16th century, Inv.Nr. TM 23696

German or Swiss, 1880s,
Inv.Nr. TM 20200

The Antonio Ratti Textile Center
Metropolitain Museum of Art, New York
No 8 / July 1998/ 7

sent by Marta Newman-Laguardia, Asistant Manager
The following information is taken from a Textile Center pamphlet and a press release.

The Ratti Center was created to house the Metropolitan’s textile collection, numbering more than 36’000 objects. It ranges from archeological fragments of 3000 BC to tapestries, velvets, carpets, fine embroideries and laces of all periods to textiles created by comtemporary designers and artists.
The holdings from the medieval textile collection range from the Carolingian period to the late Gothic, there are embroideries from Germany, Italy, and France as well as the finest collection of opus anglicanum outside of Europe.

The Storage and Study facility incorporates two study rooms for the examination of textiles. Members of the public wishing to see objects in the collection should call to discuss the procedures for viewing and to schedule an appointment in advance.
The reference library contains approximately 1’500 volumes devoted to the historical, technical and cultural study of textiles. An appointment is not required to use the library.
A computerized information system is being developed to provide catalogue data and images of the collection. Access to the terminals is by appointment.

The Center is made possible by a major grant from the Fondazione Antonio Ratti (Antonio Ratti Foundation) of Como, Italy. Additional support has been provided by the David H. Koch Charitable Foundation, Toyota Motor Corporation, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

TENEN, The Danish Society of Textile History
Society for research of textiles
No 8 / July 1998/ 8

The TENEN (the spindle) Society was founded on March 31st 1990. The objects are:
- to present and communicate the knowledge and interest of Danish textiles as a cultural heritage and handicraft
- to promote the research of textiles in the above mentioned areas
The Society shall maintain close ties between owners and users of interesting textiles in respect of cultural history and handicraft.
The foundation of the work is to call attention and record these privately owned textiles, thus enhancidng the owners’ appreciation and providing the public with special experience.

The TENEN Society addresses all intertested individuals, organisations and institutions, especially: Schools teaching handicrafts to youth and adults; Folk-dancers; Designers, producers and dealers in the textile trade, Museums, professionals and amateurs in charge of theatre costumes; Parish Councils in charge of preservation of often old and valuable altar textiles and vestments. All members shall be informed about the activities of the Society in writing, preferably through a newsletter.

Lone de Hemmer Egeberg is a ethnologist with women’s history as a special field, and she finds the Society and its projects of great interest for the history of female work and identity.

The Projects:
After the TENEN Society’s foundation the committee chose as the first cultural heritage project to register party purses. Then followed the registration of needlework boxes, tools and worktables.
The biggest project till now is a registration of Danish (women’s) aprons.
The TENEN Society announces well in advance in its own newsletter and in local newspapers where and when the registration of privately owned aprons will take place.
When members of TENEN make the registration the following steps are performed: each apron brougt by a member of the public is assigned a registration number. The information is recorded on a card. The most interesting aprons are kept to be photographed.
A book is planed to be published and maybe an exhibition will be arranged.

Book by Santina Levey
The Hardwick Hall Textiles
No 8 / July 1998/ 9

112 pages, 100 pictures most of them in colour

Contents:
Introduction, 1) before the building of the New Hall, 2) Hardwick New Hall and the 1601 inventory, 3) Embroidery, needlework and other techniques, 4) the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, 5) the 6th Duke and beyond.
Notes, Bibliography, Appendix, Glossary, Index

Thesis by Dorit Koehler, 1998
Die Paramentenstiftungen der Kaiserin Maria Theresia von Oesterreich
No 8 / July 1998/ 10

Thesis of Dorit Koehler from Muenster, Germany:
art historian, and textile restorer

exhibition catalogue by D. Davanzo Poli
textile collection of Mariano Fortuny
No 8 / July 1998/ 11

book by M. Coppens
Mode en Belgique au XIX siecle
No 8 / July 1998/ 12