HOLY HANDS: CEREMONIAL KNITTED GLOVES
Image: pair of liturgic gloves (1500-1599). Image courtesy of V&A
The Holy Hands project is the first systematic study of knitted liturgical gloves. These gloves are finely crafted ornamental symbols of high 3 ecclesiastical office, which were created from the twelfth century onwards, and used in religious ceremonies by senior churchmen. Most have a ground fabric of silk, and are usually patterned with metal thread, either as a knitted-in pattern, or as embroidery, lace, or other embellishments: some have very ornate patterning. The Holy Hands project located ninety-six artefacts held in museums and other collections in both Europe and North America, and made the data about these gloves available on the Knitting in Early Modern Europe (KEME) managed Dr Jane Malcolm-Davies and developed by Jodie Cox. The presentation will set the gloves in their historical and theological context, before going on to discuss their construction and patterning, and the skills needed to create them.
Image courtesy of the Glove Collection Trust
Speaking about the Holy Hands project at our upcoming online talk, Knit, Lesley O’Connell Edwards is an independent scholar who researches the history of hand knitting, drawing on both archival sources and extant artefacts as part of her research. She has presented papers and published several articles in academic journals and specialist publications. She is part of the Holy Hands project, led by Dr Angharad Thomas and mentored by Dr Jane Malcolm Davies, which is the first systematic study of knitted liturgical gloves from the 12th to the 19th century. She wrote the literature review for the project, and contributed to the database of extant gloves now available at KEME.
Image courtesy of the Glove Collection Trust
Pattens to replicate details of the glove patterns can be found at KEME. Lesley has also published on the project in the late autumn issue 2021 of the online Journal of dress history and in Piecework (Spring 2022). Her other research interests include hand knitting in Tudor England, especially hand knitters as an occupational group, and the production and the trade in hand knitted stockings. Her most recent article in this field is on the later 16th century stocking knitting industry in Norwich published in Textile History in 2021.
Our next online talk, Knit, will take place on Wednesday 14 September 2022 at 18:00 BST.
Find out more about the event and book your tickets on our Online Talks page.
The Holy Hands project is the first systematic study of knitted liturgical gloves. These gloves are finely crafted ornamental symbols of high 3 ecclesiastical office, which were created from the twelfth century onwards, and used in religious ceremonies by senior churchmen. Most have a ground fabric of silk, and are usually patterned with metal thread, either as a knitted-in pattern, or as embroidery, lace, or other embellishments: some have very ornate patterning. The Holy Hands project located ninety-six artefacts held in museums and other collections in both Europe and North America, and made the data about these gloves available on the Knitting in Early Modern Europe (KEME) managed Dr Jane Malcolm-Davies and developed by Jodie Cox. The presentation will set the gloves in their historical and theological context, before going on to discuss their construction and patterning, and the skills needed to create them.
Image courtesy of the Glove Collection Trust
Speaking about the Holy Hands project at our upcoming online talk, Knit, Lesley O’Connell Edwards is an independent scholar who researches the history of hand knitting, drawing on both archival sources and extant artefacts as part of her research. She has presented papers and published several articles in academic journals and specialist publications. She is part of the Holy Hands project, led by Dr Angharad Thomas and mentored by Dr Jane Malcolm Davies, which is the first systematic study of knitted liturgical gloves from the 12th to the 19th century. She wrote the literature review for the project, and contributed to the database of extant gloves now available at KEME.
Image courtesy of the Glove Collection Trust
Pattens to replicate details of the glove patterns can be found at KEME. Lesley has also published on the project in the late autumn issue 2021 of the online Journal of dress history and in Piecework (Spring 2022). Her other research interests include hand knitting in Tudor England, especially hand knitters as an occupational group, and the production and the trade in hand knitted stockings. Her most recent article in this field is on the later 16th century stocking knitting industry in Norwich published in Textile History in 2021.
Our next online talk, Knit, will take place on Wednesday 14 September 2022 at 18:00 BST.
Find out more about the event and book your tickets on our Online Talks page.