| Subject |
Book title |
MS |
Origin |
Date |
Comments |
Picture |
|
English Getelds
|
Anglo-Catalan
Psalter
|
Folio 44v of a ms of which the first 184 pages
were illustrated in Canterbury,
c. 1200, and the remaining pages in Catalonia, c. 1340.
|
Canterbury, England
|
c. 1200
|
Five getelds, with the characteristic ridge-pole extending beyond both
ends of the fabric, and the characteristic trapezoidal walls, wider at
the ground than at the ridge. Of the two unobstructed getelds, one has
blue walls with regularly spaced white spots and red lining, a white
ridge pole with blue knobs on the ends, and the other has walls of
alternating red and blue stripes, a red ridge pole and blue knobs on the
ends. A "bat-wing" effect is clearly visible where the walls are staked
to the ground.
|
|
|
Knight and King
|
Chanson d'Aspremont (a version of the Legend of Roland)
|
BL Lansdowne 782 f. 10v
|
France
|
c. 1240-1250
|
A pyramidal tent with small apple-core-shaped finial. The walls seem
to stop short of the ground, as there are short ropes continuing in the
same direction (presumably to stakes, although no stakes are visible).
Colors dubious, but possibly white with green stripes.
|
|
|
Baptism of Balan
|
Chanson d'Aspremont (a version of the Legend of Roland)
|
BL Lansdowne 782 f. 18v
|
France
|
c. 1240-1250
|
The star of the show is the hot-tub, built like a barrel or bucket, in
which Balan is being baptized by Pope Milon with four archbishops.
There is no visible center pole, but a spherical finial and some kind of
loops where the walls meet the ground.
Colors dubious, but possibly white with green stripes.
|
|
|
An army pitches camp
|
Chanson d'Aspremont (a version of the Legend of Roland)
|
BL Lansdowne 782 f. 34v
|
France
|
c. 1240-1250
|
A pyramidal tent with center pole, small apple-core-shaped finial, and a bunch
of J-shaped stakes holding the walls down. Three men are pitching the
tent: one holding the center pole, one holding a guy rope that goes to
the finial, and one driving stacks with a mallet. Colors dubious, but
possibly white with green stripes.
|
Link broken
|
|
Judith and Holofernes
|
Li livre des ansienes estoires
|
BL Add. 15268 f. 181
|
France
|
c. 1285
|
Round tent with red roof, blue walls decorated with speckles of gold and
white, red checkerboard wall lining, animal finial. No visible means of
support; there's one white thing that might be a perimeter
pole, but there's only one, and it's not clear whether it goes all the
way to the ground.
|
|
|
Guinevere Besieged in Tower
|
La Mort le Roi Artus
|
BL Add. 10294 f. 81v
|
France
|
c. 1316
|
Three single--peaked pavilions (two white, one red) with striped rooves
and ball-shaped finials, are barely visible behind the besieging troops,
who also have a nicely-illustrated trebuchet and scaling ladder.
|
|
|
Mordred Hears of Arthur's Return
|
La Mort le Roi Artus
|
BL Add. 10294 f. 87
|
France
|
c. 1316
|
Several single- and double-peaked pavilions with no visible means
of support; one has narrow linear decorations, and the rest are striped
with bands of color. All have ball-shaped finials.
|
This was at the British Library, but my link to it has broken and I
can't find it now.
|
|
Detail from fresco of Guidoriccio da Fogliano
|
N/A
|
Fresco by Simone Martini (probably)
|
Italy
|
1328-1330 (although some scholars attribute the painting to a later artist)
|
Shows one large oval and one large round tent, both decorated with
colored finials and stripes and heraldic devices on the fabric, and
surrounded by numerous thatched lean-to shelters. 3-way crow's-feet are
visible both at the shoulders and at the base of the walls, connecting
the stakes to the walls.
|
|
|
Preparations for a tournament
|
Roman du Roy Meliadus de Leonnoys
|
BL Add. 12228 f. 150
|
Italy (Naples)
|
1352-1362
|
One rectangular and six round pavilions in various pastel colors,
most with acorn-shaped finials on short banner-poles.
Some of the round pavilions have dome-shaped rooves.
Two pavilions have rectangular doorways and contain horses.
All pavilions have dagged valence-edges and no visible means of support.
Shows a wide variety of tent constructions. Note, for example, the
dagged valence on one, the painted arches on another, the mix of round
and rectangular pavilions, the clear presence of horses inside several
of the tents, and the complete absence of visible guy-ropes.
|
|
|
Israelites with Moabite Women
|
Paduan Bible Picture Book
|
BL Addl. 15277 f. 51
|
Italy (Padua)
|
1350-1399
|
Several round tents, two showing center poles; no visible means of
shoulder support. Some tent pegs visible; all have round finials, wider
than they are high. Also one pup-tent/geteld partly visible, including
ridge-pole and decoration on side. Picture also includes some pretty
striped and fringed blankets, a coif and pink hat, a bench with legs
coming through the board, and some beds.
|
Link broken
|
| The Capture of Don Pedro |
Life of Bertrand du Guesclin |
BL Yates Thompson 35 f. 246 |
France |
c. 1400 |
Several single- and double-peaked pavilions with no visible means
of support, but nice lacy decorations.
|
Link broken
|
|
Chess players in front of tents
|
???
|
???
|
???
|
c. 1410 by armor
|
The pictures shows parts of four tents (one circular, three
rectangular), decorated variously with circles and fringes, and with
"crow's-foot" guy ropes emerging from grommets, possibly metal, in the
tent wall just below the shoulder. In the foreground, two
fashionably-dressed gentlemen in tights and fur-lined mantles sit on
benches playing chess while two military men (one in articulated plate
armor, one in a quilted arming-coat) and a horse (note the curious
straps around its chest) look on.
|
|
|
Siege of some city
|
Grandes chroniques de France
|
BL Sloane 2433 vol. 2 fol. 113
|
near Paris
|
1410-1420
|
A king sits on a throne in a white round tent with two visible guy ropes
(emerging from the shoulder through reinforced grommets), a spherical
finial, and a banner pole. His troops shoot at the castle with
longbows, crossbows, and cannon, while the inhabitants of the castle
throw rocks at them from above.
|
|
|
Angels taking Louis IX to heaven
|
Grandes chroniques de France
|
BL Sloane 2433 vol. 3 fol. 7v
|
near Paris
|
1410-1420
|
King Louis IX lies in his bed inside a round white tent with several
single guy ropes, a band at the shoulder, and a small spherical finial.
Angels surround the bed, and armed men in prayer stand outside the tent.
|
|
|
Alexander's camp
|
Le Tresor des Histoires
|
BL Cotton Augustus V, f. 124
|
France
|
15th century
|
Several single-peaked pavilions, one double-peaked; no visible means of
support; most are solid-colored, with tracery decoration in gold. All
have ball-shaped finials with short banner-poles.
|
Link broken
|
|
The death of Mark Antony
|
Vita Antonii
|
BL Add. 22318, f. 44v
|
Italy
|
c. 1450
|
A battle scene with about eight circular tents with ball-shaped finials
and dagged valences.
|
Link broken
|
|
Ajax and Ulysses with Agamemnon
|
Troy Book
|
BL Royal 17 D. II f. 128
|
England (London?)
|
c. 1455-1462
|
Foreground: white rectangular tent with semee of small, colored
decorations, nearly-flat roof, narrow gold fringe, gold ball-shaped
finials. Background: some round and some rectangular/oval tents, all
white, valences with narrow gold fringe, either red or gold ball-shaped
finials.
|
Link broken
|
|
Agamemnon at council
|
Troy Book of John Lydgate
|
BL Royal 18 D. II f. 95
|
England (London?)
|
1455-1462
|
Foreground: King and his knights sitting under an unusual hexagonal
canopy with a flat roof; white with red speckled decorations, white
fringe. Background: One rectangular and 13 circular tents, all white
with white fringe, red or gold spherical finials, and 3-way crow's feet
at top of valence. One has visible red wall linings (and bedclothes).
|
Link broken
|
|
An army breaking camp
|
Hesperides
|
Oxford Bodleian Canon. Class. Lat.81 f49v
|
Rimini, Italy
|
1457-1468
|
This picture shows clearly several steps in the process of striking
camp.
-
The tent in the lower right is still up, with two thirds of its walls
attached and someone standing inside, reaching up to finish detaching
the walls (whether with toggles, buttons, or something else we don't
know).
-
The tent in the upper right is still up, with both storm- and roof-guys
staked down and someone bending over a storm-guy stake.
-
The tent on the right is having its center pole lowered by one of the
storm-guys; at least two of the other storm-guys are still staked down,
which helps keep the center pole under control.
-
The tent in the upper left is being carried to the pack animals,
with guy-lines and stakes still dangling from it.
|
|
|
A joust at St. Inglivère
|
Froissart's Chronicles (Vol. IV, part 1)
|
BL Harley 4379 f. 23v
|
S. Netherlands (Bruges)
|
1470-1475
|
(Parts of) three large pavilions, light red with castle-shaped rooves,
blue valences with gold curlicues, white and gold(?) fringe, no visible
means of support.
|
|
|
A joust at St. Inglivère
|
Froissart's Chronicles (Vol. IV, part 1)
|
BL Harley 4379 f. 43
|
S. Netherlands (Bruges)
|
1470-1475
|
Very similar to 23v above.
|
|
|
Siege of pirate stronghold
|
Froissart's Chronicles (Vol. IV, part 1)
|
BL Harley 4379 f. 104v
|
S. Netherlands (Bruges)
|
1470-1475
|
A number of round pavilions, some red, some blue, all with spherical
finials with protruding banner poles, external guy lines going to the
finials.
|
|
|
King of Hungary holds council
|
Froissart's Chronicles (Vol. IV, part 2)
|
BL Harley 4380 f. 84
|
S. Netherlands (Bruges)
|
1470-1475
|
Foreground: large rectangular tent with spike-and-ball finials, red roof
with gold arch-shaped decoration, blue valence with gold leafy
decoration, red-white-and-green fringe, red walls, white wall lining,
millefiore hangings, no visible means of support. Background: three
circular tents with ball-shaped finials and no visible means of support;
one tent is red with gold
curlicues, one white with green cap and valence, and one blue with red
valence, gold decorations on roof, valence, and walls.
|
Link broken
|
|
Richard II meets his child bride, Isabel of France
|
Froissart's Chronicles (Vol. IV, part 2)
|
BL Harley 4380 f. 89
|
S. Netherlands (Bruges)
|
1470-1475
|
Two round tents with no visible means of support: one red with green
lining, valence decorated azure, fleur-de-lis Or, red-white-and-green
fringe, roof and walls decorated with gold arch-shapes; one green with
red lining, valence decorated gules, lions Or, red-white-and-blue
fringe, roof decorated with gold arch-shapes.
|
Link broken
|
|
Nature appears in author's dream
|
Chemin de Vaillance
|
BL Royal 14 E. II f. 1
|
S. Netherlands (Bruges)
|
c. 1473-1483
|
Solid red single-peaked pavilion, tracery decorations in gold, lined
with blue, also decorated in gold. Narrow valence, also red with gold
decorations. Allegorical figure.
|
This was at the British Library, but my link to it has broken and I
can't find it now.
|
|
The Capitulation of Colle di Val d'Elsa
|
|
Cover of Sienese account book for 1479
|
Siena, Italy
|
1479
|
A variety of tent shapes: circular with external guys, rectangular
"cabin" tents, and simple, undecorated pup tents, which
seem to be a rectangle of fabric draped over two short vertical poles,
staked down at the ends, with the vertical poles staked straight out.
The non-pup
tents are decorated with stripes, have golden spherical finials topped
with flags, and have rectangular doors flapping around inside.
|
|
|
Discovery of body of Holofernes
|
Bible Historiale of Edward IV
|
BL Royal 15 D. I, f. 76v
|
S. Netherlands (Bruges)
|
c. 1479
|
Several single- and double-peaked tents, solid pastel colors, some with
narrow decorations. Valences either solid colors or gold-decorated;
walls staked to ground; no visible guy lines; sharp peaks, some with
ball-shaped finials.
|
|
|
Siege of Jerusalem by Saladin
|
Chronique d'Ernoul et de Bernard le Trésorier
|
BL Royal 15 E. I, f. 438
|
S. Netherlands (Bruges)
|
late 15th century
|
One (and parts of two others) single-poled round white pavilion.
Shoulder is quite pronounced, with (apparently slack) guy lines
descending from top of valence at steep angle to pegs.
|
|
|
Design for a royal pavilion
|
???
|
BL Cotton Augustus III, f. 11
|
S. Netherlands
|
before 1520
|
An enormous tent with sixteen single- and double-peaked bodies connected
by passages, held in place by dozens of guy-lines. Solid dark blue,
with lacy decoration in gold, ridges and finials in gold, valences or
fringes alternating Tudor green and white. Said to be for Henry VIII at
the Field of the Cloth of Gold in 1520.
|
|
|
Another design for a royal pavilion
|
???
|
BL Cotton Augustus III, f. 18
|
S. Netherlands
|
before 1520
|
An enormous tent with four rectangular sections connected by galleries,
with ten circular chambers on the sides, held in place by dozens of guy-lines.
Red with gold decorations, gold ridge decorations, various royal beasts as
finials, light-colored valences or fringes.
Said to be for Henry VIII at the Field of the Cloth of Gold in 1520.
|
|
|
A third design for a royal pavilion
|
???
|
BL Cotton Augustus III, f. 19
|
S. Netherlands
|
before 1520
|
An enormous tent with two large oval sections connected by several
galleries and oval cross-pieces,
held in place by dozens of guy-lines. Green and white striped,
with ridges and finials in gold, valences or
fringes alternating green and red. Said to be for Henry VIII at
the Field of the Cloth of Gold in 1520.
|
|
