Background:
Portrait of Anne of Hungary & Bohemia c. 1519 by Hans Maler pg. 299
The Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection Early German Painting 1350-1550 by Isolde Lubbeke ISBN 0856673765
Pg 298-301 See also woodcut by Maler and 2 woodcuts by Erhard Schon – Maria of Castile and Anne of Hungary/Bohemia 1519 with similar hats.
See also the website for the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection.
Hat Construction:
The hat has a wide circular brim that contains the pearl and spangle embroidery and attached medallion decoration. The brim is stiffened to hold the weight and maintain the shape; then backed with additional velvet. A soft velvet circle is added to cover the head and is lined with silk. The hat is designed to perch on the side of the head. In the portrait it is on the left side. In practice the hat works on either side; with the medallion sitting either to the back side or the front. Under the hat is a beaded caul which holds the hair.
Pearl & Spangle Size:
The pearls on the hat are large. In the portrait they dwarf the spangles and are approximately her eye iris size. Since mine is approximately 9 mm, the pearls I used are 8-9 mm. The spangles are #8 which are approximately 4 mm and are 14 k gold. I choose to use a premade medallion which was a gift to me from Mistress Sorcha Careman when she was Princess of Oertha. She knew that I did German garb and had found a medallion that was in keeping with such. In the portrait there are 3 even larger pearls hanging from the medallion, while mine has a piece of black glass on a gold bezel.
