Page 302 - Art In The Age Of Exploration (Great Section on Chinese Art Ming Dynasty)

a bow in the left, a dirk at his side, and arrows
under his arm, a rather heavy load for one person.
More traditionally dressed is his neighbor, who
wears over his tunic an Irish Brat, a large woollen
sleeveless cloak or cape with a shaggy lining,
which was wrapped around the body and, if neces-
sary, covered the head of the wearer; in Diirer's
drawing, he holds a large sword or claymore,
without scabbard. The two peasants armed with
axes have long tunics; one of them wears a short
tunic over the long one and has a bag hanging on
his belt, while the other holds a horn. Durer
clearly based his drawing on Hibernian costumes;
that the clothes were actually worn by Irish
people, however, is less probable, as the figures
have no trews (Gaelic Trius), the close-fitting
trousers reaching to the ankles.
Diirer's inscription states only that this is the
months later to characterize the dragon of Saint The costume studies cannot have been executed way soldiers and peasants dress in Ireland. His
Margaret in a preparatory drawing (1522) for a on that occasion, however, for they are clearly wording—especially in the original German —
sacra conversazione, a painting that was probably dated 1521. The only information provided by does not imply that he saw real Irishmen in this
never executed (Strauss 1974, 4:2180-2181, Durer is in the inscription on the present draw- garb. It has been suggested that he copied some-
no. 1522/1). J.M.M. ing: "This is the attire of soldiers in Ireland, one else's drawings—the fact that when in Ant-
beyond England," and "This is the attire of peas- werp he lodged at Jobst Plankvelt's inn, in the
ants in Ireland." That the costumes are indeed Engelsche Straat, the street where the English
Irish cannot be doubted (for a study of early Irish merchants lived, would support this hypothesis —
costume see McClintock 1950, 30-31; McClintock but the almost archaeological exactitude of the
208 1958,1-2: this entry employs his terminology drawing suggests that his discerning eye was

Albrecht Durer and descriptions of early Irish costumes from this at work. Diirer may simply have dressed local
from
soldier
models in examples of Livonian and Irish cos-
source, often
verbatim). The first
Nuremberg, 1471-1528 the left has a helmet and wears a long quilted gar- tume, which may have been used in processions to
IRISH WARRIORS AND PEASANTS ment called cotun in Gaelic; he holds a lance and illustrate the antiquity of Irish Christianity and
wears a dirk at his side. His companion has a coat the universality of Christian belief. Alternatively,
1521 of arms over a long tunic (perhaps the Gaelic the costumes could have been curiosities acquired
pen and ink with watercolor on paper Leine?)', he holds a large sword in his right hand, by a collector whom the artist knew. J.M.M.
l
21 X 28.2 (8 /4 X llVs]
references: McClintock 1950, 30-31, fig. 17;
McClintock 1958, 1-2; Goris and Marlier 1971, 77,
94, 185, no. and fig. 69; Strauss 1974, 4/2064-2065,
no. 1521/36; Anzelewsky and Mielke 1984, 111-112,
no. and fig. 108
Kupferstichkabinett, Staatliche Museen Preussischer
Kulturbesitz, Berlin

Diirer's fascination with exotic costumes is evi-
dent as early as his first trip to Italy (1494-1495),
when he recorded the costumes of Venetians as
well as those of orientals (cat. no); it continued
throughout his career. In the diary of his journey
to the Netherlands (1520-1521), Durer noted that
he "drew a girl in her costume at Goes''; a few
months later in Antwerp he "sketched, in black
and white on grey paper, two Netherlandish cos-
tumes" (Goris and Marlier 1971, 77, 94). His
most splendid costume studies from the Nether-
landish trip are the present sheet and three
drawings of Livonian women. He may have seen
the latter in Antwerp during the great annual
Assumption Day procession of 1520, which he
recorded at length. In it were, in his words,
"boys and maidens most finely and splendidly
dressed in the costumes of many lands repre-
senting various Saints."

EUROPE AND THE MEDITERRANEAN WORLD 3O1