Tag: 17th century

NOW: Mitten with embroidered cuff – D7403b

While I’ve mentioned this Nalbound Object of the Week in an earlier post, link here, I did not include the find data. So this week we take a closer look at the 17th century mitten found in the ramparts of the city of Copenhagen. Like many mittens and socks of this time, it has some tar stains. If you look very closely, there is some two toned embroidery around the cuff edge. One thread of which still retains some reddish coloring (I’ve included a detail photo below).

Mitten found in Mikkel Bryggersgade, D7403b.
Photo credit: Anne Marie Decker

Object: Mitten with an embroidered cuff – D7403b

Description: A mitten for the right hand with some tar stains and two colored embroidery around the cuff worked in opposing whip stitches that create small triangles.1

Dated to: 1500 – 1650 CE2

Find location (Continent, current country, original culture): Mikkel Bryggers Gade in association with Copenhagen’s ramparts.3

Material: Wool4

Stitch(es) used: Hald stated that 3 of the 4 mittens found in the ramparts of Copenhagen were Type IIa (which is UO/UOO) with the 4th too felted to tell and includes photos of two of which this mitten is one. Eskelund Rüssel catalogs this mitten as UOOO/UUUOO F15 which I am not seeing in the mitten. Further examination will be required.

Inventory number: D7403b

Current location: National Museum of Denmark

Link to museum catalog or other data: https://samlinger.natmus.dk/dmr/object/292074

Some sources in which more information can be found:

Eskelund Rüssel, Elizabeth. Nålebinding: En forhistorisk håndarbejdsteknik i kronologisk perspektiv. Arkæologisk Tema 1, Vejleder: Henriette Lyngstrøm, Forhistorisk Arkæologi ved Københavns Universitet, May 24, 2011.

Hald, Margrethe. Ancient Danish Textiles from Bogs And Burials: A Comparative Study of Costume and Iron Age Textiles. Publications of The National Museum of Denmark; Archaeological Historical Series XXI. Translated by Jean Olsen. Copenhagen: Fyens Stiftsbogtrykkeri, Copenhagen, 1980. image p. 303. ISBN 87-480-0312-3.

Does anyone have a copy of this publication?
Vestergård Pedersen 2003. Nålebinding. Center for Historisk Teknologi. Middelaldercenteret Nykøbing F. S. 1 – 16.

Photographs:

Museum information for the display including D7403b. Photo credit: Anne Marie Decker
Museum legend for the display including D7403b. Photo credit: Anne Marie Decker
Closeup of the embroidered cuff of D7403b. Photo credit: Anne Marie Decker

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Patrons on Patreon receive early access previews, occasional extra details, and priority requests.

  1. Personal viewing while on display, August 27, 2019. ↩︎
  2. Eskelund Rüssel, Elizabeth. Nålebinding: En forhistorisk håndarbejdsteknik i kronologisk perspektiv. Arkæologisk Tema 1, Vejleder: Henriette Lyngstrøm, Forhistorisk Arkæologi ved Københavns Universitet, May 24, 2011. p. 11, Bilag 3 #16. https://vikingerivestfold.no/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Nalebinding_en_forhistorisk_handarbejdst.pdf ↩︎
  3. Eskelund Rüssel, Elizabeth. Nålebinding: En forhistorisk håndarbejdsteknik i kronologisk perspektiv. Arkæologisk Tema 1, Vejleder: Henriette Lyngstrøm, Forhistorisk Arkæologi ved Københavns Universitet, May 24, 2011. Bilag 3 #16. https://vikingerivestfold.no/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Nalebinding_en_forhistorisk_handarbejdst.pdf ↩︎
  4. https://samlinger.natmus.dk/dmr/object/292074 Accessed 1/18/2026. ↩︎
  5. Eskelund Rüssel, Elizabeth. Nålebinding: En forhistorisk håndarbejdsteknik i kronologisk perspektiv. Arkæologisk Tema 1, Vejleder: Henriette Lyngstrøm, Forhistorisk Arkæologi ved Københavns Universitet, May 24, 2011. p. 11, Bilag 3 #16. https://vikingerivestfold.no/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Nalebinding_en_forhistorisk_handarbejdst.pdf cites Vestergård Pedersen 2003. Nålebinding. Center for Historisk Teknologi. Middelaldercenteret Nykøbing F. S. 1 – 16. for information regarding the mitten, but not stitch identification specifically. ↩︎

Nalbinding in ATN 66

Fresh off the presses, we’ve got a new article that includes quite a few nalbound examples; including one I hadn’t seen before!

“Icelandic mittens from archaeological contexts” by Charlotte Rimstad, Ulla Mannering, Joe W. Walser III, Freyja H. Ó. Sesseljudóttir and Susanne Mueller includes some very nice photographs of several nalbound mittens; the one found in Iceland and several comparables from Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.

Archaeological Textiles Review 66

When they say click on the image, they mean click on the orange cover image with the pair of mittens on it. That is the only place where the download link is located. I have heard there are some issues with the image loading on some mobile devices.

NOW: Arnheiðarstöðum Iceland mitten Þjms. 3405

The shape of the cuff of this week’s Nalbound Object of the Week never really fit with the 10th century dating assigned to it when it was found in the late 19th century. Recent radiocarbon dating reveals that the mitten from Iceland is dated to between the late 15th to early 17th centuries CE which makes much more sense given its shaping. As more research is conducted on nalbinding, we begin to get a clearer picture of its usage, distribution, and dating.

Arnheiðarstöðum Iceland mitten Þjms. 3405 back on display after I examined it.
Photo credit: Anne Marie Decker – 1 Sept 2022

Object: Iceland Mitten

Description: The mitten is densely nalbound of a two ply yarn made of wool fibers of two colors and crimps. Overall the mitten is currently a lovely reddish brown, but close examination shows that there are some darker smoother fibers intermittently mixed with lighter brown crimpier fibers bringing to mind the two coated sheep of Iceland. There is some damage to the cuff and a bit near the base of the pinky finger, but overall the mitten is in good condition. The thumb is rather large in comparison to the size of the fingers and lays flat with an extremely neatly worked connection. It is worked from the tip to the cuff. The direction of work spirals in an S slant fashion which gives the appearance of a right to left working direction when observing the current exterior. However, the stitch itself belies the thought that it might have been worked left handed and more likely it has been turned inside out leaving the technical front currently inside.

Dated to: Recently radiocarbon dated to 1480-1640 CE.1 The original dating of the 10th century had been estimated when the mitten was found in the late 19th century and was based on jewelry found nearby.2

Find location: The mitten was found in 1889 when they were digging to build a new house at the farm at Arnheiðarstaðir in the east of Fljótsdalshérað, Iceland.3

Material: Wool4 Two-ply with a diameter of just under 1/8th inch (3mm).5

Stitch(es) used: Oslo F1, F1 UO/UOO6 (Stitch determination by Margrethe Hald. Confirmed by Anne Marie Decker during her examination of the mitten on 1 September 2022)

Gauge: 6 stitches to the inch. 1 and 3/4 rows to the inch.7

Inventory number: Þjms. 3405

Current location: Þjóðminjasafn Íslands (National Museum of Iceland)

Link to museum catalog or other data: https://sarpur.is/Adfang.aspx?AdfangID=323304

Some sources in which more information can be found:

Eldjárn, Kristján. “Að sauma síl og sía mjólk.” Árbók Hins íslenzka fornleifafélags 1960. Reykjavík 1960, pgs. 48-63.

Eldjárn, Kristján. “Vattarsaumur.” Hugur og hönd. 1. tbl. 1974, bls. 40-42.

Eldjárn, Kristján. “Vöttur frá Arnheiðarstöðum.” Hundrað ár í Þjóðminjasafni. Reykjavík 1962, pg. 27.

Hald, Margrethe. “Vötturin fra Arnheidar-Stödum” in Arbok Hins islenzka fornleifafélags, 50. årgang, 1949-1950, Island, pgs. 73-78 ISSN 0256-8462.

Lehmann-Filhés, Margarethe. “Zwei Isländische Handschuhe” in Zeitschrift für Ethnologie. pgs. 29-30.

Lucas, Rebecca. Two Icelandic Mittens (1896). https://www.medieval-baltic.us/lehmann-filhes-palsson.html Accessed 24 June 2024. Provides an English translation of Margarethe Lehmann-Filhés’ “Zwei Isländische Handschuhe.”

Pálsson, Pálmi. 4. Tveir hanzkar in “Um myndir af gripum í forngripa-safninu.” Árbók Hins íslenzka fornleifafélags 10. Reykjavik 1895. pgs. 34-35.

Rimstad, Charlotte, Ulla Mannering, Joe Wallace Walser III, and Susanne Mueller. “ICELANDIC MITTENS” Oral Presentation at the European Association of Archaeologists 29th EAA Annual Meeting in Belfast, Northern Ireland,
30 August – 2 September 2023 https://www.e-a-a.org/EAA2023/Programme.aspx?Program=3 click on the Abstract Book (30 Aug) link to find the abstract.

Photographs:

Arnheiðarstöðum Iceland mitten Þjms. 3405
Photo credit: Anne Marie Decker – 24 Jan 2019
Display including the Arnheiðarstöðum Iceland mitten Þjms. 3405
Photo credit: Anne Marie Decker – 24 Jan 2019
Anne Marie Decker’s hand comparing size with the Arnheiðarstöðum Iceland mitten Þjms. 3405
Photo credit: Anne Marie Decker – 24 Jan 2019
Tip of Arnheiðarstöðum Iceland mitten Þjms. 3405 and thumb.
Photo credit: Anne Marie Decker – 24 Jan 2019
Arnheiðarstöðum Iceland mitten Þjms. 3405 taken from above to better show the damage to the outer edge.
Photo credit: Anne Marie Decker – 24 Jan 2019
Photos taken when I first saw the mitten on display in January 2019.

Please note that sharing to other venues will likely be intermittent. If you wish to receive these each week, please remember to follow the blog.
Patrons on Patreon receive early access previews, occasional extra details, and priority requests.

  1. The museum made the decision to post the recent radiocarbon dating in the online catalog entry for the mitten https://sarpur.is/Adfang.aspx?AdfangID=323304 Accessed 27 May 2024. The online catalog entry also contains a link to the testing laboratory’s Report of Radiocarbon Dating Analyses: https://sarpur.is/Uploads/Files/2290209.pdf (Accessed 23 June 2024). The dating was presented in the Icelandic Mittens presentation given by Charlotte Rimstad et. al. at the European Association of Archaeologists 29th annual meeting in Belfast in 2023 which was apparently not recorded, but the dating is noted in the Abstract for the presentation (pg. 1079 of linked pdf). Apparently an article will be forthcoming in an issue of the Norwegian Textile Review this summer or fall. ↩︎
  2. Hald, Margrethe. “Vötturin fra Arnheidar-Stödum” in Arbok Hins islenzka fornleifafélags, 50. årgang, 1949-1950, Island, pgs. 73-78 ↩︎
  3. https://sarpur.is/Adfang.aspx?AdfangID=323304 Accessed 27 May 2024 ↩︎
  4. https://sarpur.is/Adfang.aspx?AdfangID=323304 Accessed 27 May 2024 ↩︎
  5. Wool diameter determined by Anne Marie Decker during her examination on 1 Sept 2022. ↩︎
  6. Hald, Margrethe. “Vötturin fra Arnheidar-Stödum” in Arbok Hins islenzka fornleifafélags, 50. årgang, 1949-1950, Island, pg. 75. ISSN 0256-8462. ↩︎
  7. Stitch gauge determined by Anne Marie Decker during her examination on 1 Sept 2022. ↩︎

NOW: Vasa mitten 21116

This week’s Nalbound Object of the Week is the Vasa Mitten on display in the Vasa Museum in Stockholm, Sweden. The wool mitten was found in a barrel with a pair of leather outer mittens in the remains of the ship Vasa which sank in 1628 CE.1 It is not the only mitten found on shipwrecks around this timeframe, nor is it the only nalbinding that was found on the Vasa. Simply the nalbound item on display; the rest are kept in the museum inventory.2

Anne Marie Decker as she finds the Vasa mitten and its outer casing on display in the Vasa Museum.

Object: Vasa Mitten

Description: A left mitten liner made of grey wool; loosely spun.3 The thumb is no longer attached to the mitten though it is placed in position for display. The fabric shows heavy fulling, although it is unknown if that was original or simply developed from wear and/or find circumstances.

Dated to: 10 August 1628 CE4 (no more recent than)

Find location: Vasa shipwreck, starboard side of the lower battery deck between beams 2 and 3 about 5.3 to 6.77 meters from the bow,5 Stockholm archipelago, Sweden

Material: single ply S-spun wool6

Stitch(es) used: Pending results of examination.
Stitch count 40 stitches/10 cm and 12 rounds/10 cm.7

Inventory number: 21116

Current location: The Vasa Museum https://www.vasamuseet.se/en

Link to museum catalog or other data: https://digitaltmuseum.se/011024785035/vante

Only one of several beautiful and detailed photographs available on the digitaltmuseum.se link. Scroll past the photos of the leather mittens to find them.
Photo: Vasa Museum CC BY 4.0

The 1983 edition of Berit Westman’s Nålbindning: 12 varianter contained the first image of the Vasa mitten that I had seen. It was lovely to see it in person again in May of 2023; when I also got the chance to examine the other nalbinding found on the ship.

Some sources in which more information can be found:

Looström, Anne and Birgitta Stapf. “Tre Tusen Textilfragment : Från Wasan Söndagen Den 10 Augusti 1628.” Dissertation. 1983. [Note: I have not read this yet. It was recommended.]

Please note that sharing to other venues will likely be intermittent. If you wish to receive these each week, please remember to follow the blog.
Patrons on Patreon receive early access previews, occasional extra details, and priority requests.

  1. Other Information: https://digitaltmuseum.se/011024785035/vante ↩︎
  2. See Identifier 09184 https://digitaltmuseum.se/021026380762/pung and 27908IX https://digitaltmuseum.se/021026380969/textil ↩︎
  3. About: https://digitaltmuseum.se/011024785035/vante ↩︎
  4. Rising, Catrin ed. The Story of Vasa. The Swedish National Maritime Museums. Pg. 5. ISBN 978-91-984713-3-5. ↩︎
  5. Find Place: https://digitaltmuseum.se/011024785035/vante ↩︎
  6. Techniques: https://digitaltmuseum.se/011024785035/vante ↩︎
  7. Techniques: https://digitaltmuseum.se/011024785035/vante ↩︎