Vair Cloak

I received several responses to my post which I have cross-posted on a few of my regular forums. The responses have been varied on how to achieve the look of vair from a labor intensive two-tone fur sewing project to a felting method. While I have gotten a number of ideas I had to share this particular image to the right.

Vair Cloak Belonging to Pal Ian Uzzell, Regia of UK

This particular example comes from Pal Ian Uzzell, Regia from the UK, by way of a response to my post on a forum. The snippit below is from the owner of the cloak himself:

"Hazel has now finished my 12th C tunic and cloak. The cloak is lined with vair - which is the belly fur of squirrels. Manuscripts show several cloaks so lined.The tunic is full length is heavily
embroidered at the neck and has wide lined sleeves."

The skins were gotten from the House of de Clifford, professional furriers. 

Ian notes:
"I quote from the supplier: This squirrel blanket/ plate is made from Baltic winter squirrel necks. it measures 28"w x 44"d This pattern is often used in heraldry and seen in medieval paintings. Squirrel was called 'vair' and the white fur was called 'miniver' . This fur is one of the purest softest furs in the world. The fur trade in Britain was started through the trade in Grey Squirrel pelts across the Hansiatic trade routes, and was probably bought in Novgorod, Russia. Grey squirrels not being native to the UK in medival times and only having red squirrels we wanted something ifferent!!!"

I myself am not a fan of using real fur unless I happen to be able to re-purpose an old fur coat that is still in good condition.This is why I am trying to find a way to make it instead of buying a piece from a furrier. That and it is just far too expensive for regular wear! Though I do have to admit that I am jealous of such a beautiful piece of work!

Ermine or Not

There is a rather wonderful book that was written and illuminated between 1300 and 1340 (the approximate date of completion) called the Codex Manesse or the Große Heidelberger Liederhandschrift in German. It was produced in Germany and It is the single most comprehensive source for the texts of love songs in Middle High German. Besides representing over forty poets it has a number of beautiful drawings that depict fashion, life and people of the 1300's. I have taken to studying something that I have found rather interesting in a few images and I am trying to decipher whether or not what was drawn is supposed to represent ermine or not. There's one image that I would like to produce which has brought me to this but that can wait until later.

The fist image I found was this one to the right. (A larger image can be found here.) The Minnesänger or poet depicted on this miniature could be Wilhelm von Gliers The Minnesänger explained on this miniature could be Wilhelm von Gliers who is said to have lived from 1267 to 1317 and was the son-in-law to Walthers von Klingen.  The part I am interested in is the white and black that decorates the cape.

 For all intents and purposes it looks like a great cloak of sorts with a definite collar of this white decorative material. It looks as though the whole cloak is lined in the stuff and so I can only assume that it is some kind of fur. I asked my husband, a historian, and he said that it may have been stoat fur while I thought perhaps ermine. Fortunately it was not the only example of this possible fur.

The second example to the left with both a female and male model wearing the same kind of decorated cloak. While the woman's version is much simpler, the men's version is pretty much exactly the same as the one above and both are clasped over the right shoulder. I think that the cloak itself looks very full and could possibly be a full circle cloak. I'm looking for any input that you may have as to what it may be. Stoat or ermine or or something else entirely?