St. Stephen: a simple outline
I've put way more effort than expected into producing the line art for the St. Stephen opus anglicanum project. I thought that all I'd need to do is trace the original figure, extend the folds of the robe, add some toes, and be done.
Ha. Ha ha. Hahahahaha...
Close examination of the original St. Stephen embroidery, as well as its companion St. Lawrence piece, confirms for me that the figures were originally embroidered full length and were later trimmed. On both pieces at the bottom cut edge there is a tiny bit of contrasting stitching which happens to match the sleeve linings. I'd previously just taken Grace Christie's word that their robes are, specifically, dalmatics -- deacons' vestments, with side slits in the lower part -- but the contrasting stitching begins on the figure where those slits would start in the vestment, providing evidence that the original piece did clearly show a dalmatic rather than a plainer robe.
Well, I can't ignore that. Referring to Tanya's drawing is out, since she has him in a plain robe. I tried to draw the missing portion of the vestment, as a dalmatic, in a way that looks right in relation to the original piece. Long story short, I failed miserably.
New plan.
To preserve my sanity, I decided to work St. Stephen about half height, fully framed, like in some other opus anglicanum pieces (certain orphreys and stoles). This way I can make a good, balanced composition while staying within the bounds of my photo reference. And here he is:
I have added an identifying inscription to the background. Far fewer people today are familiar with the symbology which identifies St. Stephen, so hopefully an inscription will make the final piece more edifying than confusing. Plus, it solves my problem of what to do with the background!
I have also placed him in the frame in a slightly different way. His halo is in the foreground rather than being covered by the arch in the original piece. I've also nudged his elbow out over the frame. A modern twist, perhaps, but I don't think it detracts from the piece.
What I'm planning now
- I'll use my line art instead of Tanya's. I don't get the full length figure, but I do get more of the original details.
- I'll work it close to the scale of the original piece. I'm printing my pattern at 10.5 cm wide.
- I'm still planning on working it directly on the final ground fabric. I've settled on a cream silk habotai, which should be nice and smooth for setting teeny tiny stitches.
- I have a rough idea of colors, and have purchased a range of Chinese flat silks which should suffice.
- No idea what to do with the halo yet.