Inspirations and Background

A giornea was an open-sided overgown a lady of quality wore over her gamurra, or dress. It was a brief little fad in Florence from around 1486-1490 or so, and faded after that.

The Birth of Saint John the Baptist, circa 1490, Santa Maria Novella, Florence

This young lady, likely a family member of the person who commissioned the painting to begin with, wears a gamurra with a fine pink giornea over it. The side seams are totally open, though the front looks like it comes to a V around waist length and then is closed. The back side seam is dagged in the shape of leaves, a common design at the time. It's lightly embroidered in gold at the neckline and armholes, though that's hard to see in this reproduction. This, then, is what I was aiming for: a stately garment that drapes over a formal gown, one whose fabric more or less speaks for itself.

Visitation, Santa Maria Novella, Florence.

This is another giornea. This one's in orange, but gives the same dignified impression of loads of draping fabric that cuts low in front and is totally open on the sides.

Giovanna Tornabuoni, 1490, Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection, Madrid

And a third portrait displaying a giornea (yes, it's the same one as the above but with a different background). Note that all of these portraits were made around 1490, of Florentine women. The fad was very short-lived, but popular while it lasted. Click to enlarge the portrait.

This embroidery is made of size 10 pale green glass beads, rocaille size cobalt glass beads, and 3mm pearls. The embroidery is in medium lavender with tawny gold accents. I expect to go through several vials of the green glass, so if you want to buy in bulk, I recommend Consumer Crafts.

This is from Period Patterns #41, view III (the one on the lower left). I did it pretty much like it called for in the instructions. (Incidentally, the pattern I had gave sewing layouts and sizes from 6-20, but I suspect even a slightly larger woman would do all right with this as the sizing seems to run so large.)

Assessment: Very easy pattern to assemble and sew. Very easy directions. I was very nervous about Period Patterns, but I have to admit this one was easily as easy as anything out of Simplicity. I did make a toile of this pattern first out of some thick, sturdy Trigger-like fabric, and it fit pretty well. The shoulders were entirely too broad and wide, and the length even cut two sizes small was still too long. This was all very easy to fix with the toile.

Yardage: About 4 yards of 60" silk/rayon mix for the gold, and 4 yards of lining fabric in cotton print, black vines on a burgundy background. It is essential that the fabric not have a "direction" or a nap. If yours does, allow twice as much fabric.

First the fabric was laid out and cut; luckily I had enough of each fabric, and equally luckily it didn't matter if the fabric was upside down or right-side up (the pattern layout suggestion calls for the pieces to be arranged with the top side front on the left, and the top side back on the right side, so if your fabric DOES care which side is up, you will be sad).

Here is the front of it, with the red-and-black lining that is going to be re-lined after the embroidery's done. I'll know next time to use an interim muslin lining, then to use the real lining fabric once I'm done with the fun embroidery and beading. And yes, it took a really long time to do all that.

This is the embroidery at the hem, at least the beginning of it.

Domenico Ghirlandaio, Presentation of the Virgin at the Temple, 1486-1490, fresco at Cappella Tornabuoni, Santa Maria Novella, Florence. The Virgin Mary wears a sumptuous red gown with a light blue giornea over it. Note the embroidery at the edges of the giornea's neckline and hem. What I'm making is very similar to this outfit in general. The outer gown's embroidery is going to look, hopefully, like the red gown's.

Domenico Ghirlandaio, Adoration of the Magi, 1486-1490, fresco at Cappella Tornabuoni, Santa Maria Novella, Florence. There are two garments here I want to draw attention to: first, the angel in the greenish cloak and orange giornea, which is embroidered in something similar to what I want to do. The edging on the man to the angel's right, in the reddish-orange giornea, is also similar to what I've done with my giornea.