Knitwear from the Middle Ages and Renaissance

For additional resources on this subject, see the HistoricKnit mailing list, the Knitting History Forum, A Preliminary Survey of 16th Century English Literary References to Knitting, Fashioning the Early Modern, and these links.

A related item of interest: a boxwood knitting-sheath/spindle (?) carved in Italy in the 16th century.

Tiraz, Fatimid Egypt, c. 910-1171
Cap made from byssus, 14th century; see also this glove, made of the same material, and The Story of "Sea Silk"

Knitting Madonnas
The Virgin is occasionally depicted knitting a garment, thought to represent the seamless garment worn by Christ (John 19:23):

The Holy Family by Ambrogio Lorenzetti, c. 1345
Detail from Madonna dell'Umilità by Vitale degli Equi, before 1361
Detail from a polyptich by Tommaso da Modena, before 1375
Detail from the right wing of the Buxtehude Altar by Bertram von Minden, 1400-1410
Birth of the Virgin with other Scenes from her Life, c. 1428-1439
Altarpiece with the Life of the Virgin by Nicolás and Martín Zahortiga, c. 1460
The Life of the Infant by Hieronymus Wierix, before 1619

A cap found during restoration work at St. Leonhards-Kirche in Basel, possibly worn by a stonemason, c. 1460

Wool caps and flat caps, mostly from Tudor England, 16th century

MoL NN8512, a man's wool cap with a front brim and a neckflap, early 16th century
V&A 1566-1901, found in an old house in Worship street in the city of London, early 16th century
V&A 741-1904, c. 1500-1550
Met C.I.41.50, c. 1520
Cap from the Mary Rose, 1545
Germanisches Nationalmuseum T3762, also here, here, here, and here, first half of the 16th century
Met 29.158.482, 16th century
British Museum 1856,0701.1882, found in Moorsfield area of London, mid-16th century
Met 29.158.485, 16th century
V&A 1562&A-1901, 16th century
MoL NN8511, a split-brimmed slashed cap, found with a silk lining
Single-brimmed woolen caps at the MoL: 88.3/17 (a wool cap with a narrow single continuous brim), 5008 (a child's single-brimmed wool cap), A15260
Split-brimmed caps: MoL 5004, 5006A (a split-brimmed slashed cap with a silk lining), A6345, A6347 (a wool cap with two overlapping half-brims and silk ribbons), A6340 (a wool cap with two overlapping half-brims that have been cut and slashed), A26566
Split-brimmed caps with neckflaps: MoL 74.42/1 (wool split-brimmed cap with a front brim and neckflap), 5000, 5013 (with a front brim and neckflap), A6341 (with a front brim and neckflap), A7608a (with front half brim and neckflap),
NN8512 (with a front brim and a neckflap; short lengths of plain-weave silk ribbon inserted in pairs into the back and sides of the cap)
MoL 5002, a brimless cap
MoL 5005
MoL A6341, a woolen cap with a front brim and a neckflap
MoL A26841, a woolen cap with two overlapping half-brims
MoL 22386, a flat knitted cap with the brim and part of the crown cut away, 16th century
MoL A7609a, a cap with a neckflap and integral earflaps or cheekpieces, 16th century
Other caps with earflaps: V&A 1570-1901 (c. 1500-1550), MoL 73.104/2, 5009 (earflaps cut off),

Cap linings: MoL A6342, 22388, 22389, 22390, 22391, 22392
Hats from the ship Gagiana, 1583; see also Recreating the Gagiana Barett - Knitting Pattern For a Barrett or Flat Cap.

Knit ecclesiastical gloves (see also the gloves & mittens linkspage)

V&A 437&A-1892, a pair of gloves made for a bishop, made in 16th century Spain, silk and silver strip
Silk gloves thought to have belonged to Archbishop William Warham (d. 1532)
MFA 38.1250a-b, a pair of ecclesiastical gloves, c. 1550-1600
MFA 38.1257a-b, a pair of ecclesiastical gloves made in Spain in the 16th-17th century

Knit secular gloves (see also the gloves & mittens linkspage)

Child's wool mitten (back), 16th century
A lady's silk gloves, first half of the 17th century
Gloves from the Gunnister find, late 17th century

Knit hosiery (see also the hose linkspage)

Men's trunkhose, 16th century; also here and here
Silk hose of a 16th century Saxon prince
Stockings of Eleonora de Toledo, 1562
Silk stockings of the Prince-Elector August von Sachsen, second half of the 16th century
Machine-knit stockings in silk with gold and silver threads, late 16th or early 17th century
Early 17th century stockings of knit silk, probably made in Italy; see MFA 43.1939a-b and 43.1940a-b
A stocking found in Tycho Brahe’s tomb
Boy's stockings, c. 1600-1620
Wool hose, 1640s
Hand-knit stockings, mid-17th century
Stockings from the Gunnister find (detail), late 17th century

Monmouth cap, 16th century
Child's wool vest: front and back, 16th century

Ladies' silk jackets, 17th century

An infant's silk and metal-thread vest, 17th century
Child’s cotton jacket, 17th century
Knitted silk garters, Italian or Spanish, 17th century
The Gunnister find, late 17th century; includes two caps, gloves, a purse, and stockings (detail)

Thanks for the St. Leonard cap, Tracy!

Knit Clothing and Accessories