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These links focus on the wide silk belts worn by ladies in the 15th century. I have organized them by color here, to better understand which colors were used. (These are sometimes considered “Burgundian,” but they seem to have been fashionable in France, Flanders, and England too.) In several of the paintings, one can even discern the pattern woven into the silk.
The title of this linkspage – “brode harnysed girdilles” – comes from a description of such a belt in the 1487 will of one of the women in the Paston family, which describes several from her wardrobe, and how they are to be distributed following her death:
I geue and biqueith to my doughter Mary, to the promocion of her mariage … iij brode girdilles, oone of tawny silke with bokill a[nd] pendaunt, a-nother of purpill with bokyll and pendaunt, and the iijde of purpill damaske with bokell and pendaunt and vj barres of siluer and gilt; and iij brode harnysed girdilles, oone white tisshew, a-nother red tysshewe gold, and the iijde a playne grene coorse; … and a harnysed girdill enameled with rowsclare weying halfe an vnce; … an harnysed girdill of golde of Damaske, with a long pendaunt and a bokill of golde chekkyd, weying j vnce …
Additional descriptions can be found in the garment references in the Paston letters. Soper Lane sells booklets on tablet-weaving narrow girdles and wide girdles.
BLACK
- The assassination of Quintillus, De casibus (BNF Fr. 232, fol. 276), second quarter of the 15th century
- The wife of Peter Engelbrecht in The Mérode Altarpiece by Robert Campin, 1427
- Portrait of Margareta van Eyck by Jan van Eyck, 1439
- (Possibly more of a silvery-grey color?) Donor's wife in Triptych: The Crucifixion by Rogier van der Weyden, c. 1443-1445
- The Magdalene Reading by Rogier van der Weyden, c. 1445
- Lady wearing a gauze headdress by Rogier van der Weyden, c. 1445
- A woman at the baptism in the Seven Sacraments Altarpiece by Rogier van der Weyden, c. 1445-1450
- St. Eligius in his Workshop by Petrus Christus, 1449
- Portrait of a Noblewoman, Probably Isabella of Portugal, mid-15th century
- Silk belt with enamelled buckle and end-plate, Flanders or Burgundy, c. 1450 (also here and here)
- Awarding the prize to the winner of the tournament, The Book of the Tournament of René d'Anjou (BNF Fr. 2695, fol. 103v), c. 1460
- The older girl (donor?) in The Presentation in the Temple by Hans Memling, 1463
- A woman removes her girdle as Pythagoras teaches, Speculum historiale (BNF Fr. 50, fol. 98v), 1463
- Caterina di Francesco Tanagli in Last Judgment Triptych by Hans Memling, 1467-1471
- a girdell of blak herneised with siluer gilt and enamelled (Paston, 1482)
- Awarding the prize to the winner of the tournament, The Book of the Tournament of René d'Anjou (BNF Fr. 2693, fol. 64v), c. 1488-1489
- Isabella of Portugal by Rogier van der Weyden, c. 1500
- Elisabeth of Breda in The Gift of Kalmthout by Goswijn van der Weyden, c. 1511
WHITE
- Maria Baroncelli by Hans Memling, c. 1470
- Pride and Humility represented by contrast between ladies’ social behavior (fol. 6r), monks turn away from vices (fol. 13v), St. Paul addressing a group (fol. 13v), the feast of Dives (fol. 16v), The City of God (MMW 10 A 11, fol. 6r), c. 1475-1480
- Diptych with the Virgin and Child and Three Donors, 1486
- oone white tisshew (Paston, 1487)
- Awarding the prize to the winner of the tournament, The Book of the Tournament of René d'Anjou (BNF Fr. 2692, fol. 70v), c. 1488-1489
RED
- A reading woman in the Seven Sacraments Altarpiece by Rogier van der Weyden, c. 1445-1450
- St. Eligius in his Workshop by Petrus Christus, 1449
- Girdle (V&A 4278-1857), c. 1450-1500
- Portrait of a lady by Rogier van der Weyden, c. 1455
- Portrait of a woman by Rogier van der Weyden, c. 1460
- Portrait of an old woman by Hans Memling, 1470-1475
- Madonna with Donor and St Mary Magdalene, c. 1475
- Pride and Humility represented by contrast between ladies’ social behavior, The City of God (MMW 10 A 11, fol. 6r), c. 1475-1480
- Barbara van Vlaenderberch in the Triptych of the Family Moreel by Hans Memling, 1484
- my red girdle embroidered (Joan Searlis, 1485)
- Diptych with the Virgin and Child and Three Donors, 1486
- the red girdle (Stephen Cheeseman, 1489)
GOLD PATTERNS
- Giovanna Cenami in The Arnolfini Wedding, 1434
- A bride and a lady at the baptism in the Seven Sacraments Altarpiece by Rogier van der Weyden, c. 1445-1450
- Banquet at the house of William III of Holland, Chronographia (BNF Fr. 9002, fol. 148v), mid-15th century
- A young woman has removed her headdress and seems to be removing her rings as Pythagoras teaches, Speculum historiale (BNF Fr. 50, fol. 98v), 1463
- a-nother red tysshewe gold (Paston, 1487)
- an harnysed girdill of golde of Damaske, with a long pendaunt and a bokill of golde chekkyd, weying j vnce (Paston, 1487)
- my beste girdill whereof the herneys is siluer and gilt and the corse is of damaske goolde (Paston, 1504)
GREEN
- To Johanna his wife a gown of scarlet furred with ‘le Bies’ and a girdle of silver green color (William Hugham, 1416)
- Portrait of Margareta van Eyck by Jan van Eyck, 1439
- Isabella of Portugal by the workshop of Rogier van der Weyden, c. 1450
- Isabel of Portugal by Petrus Christus, 1457-1460
- Miracles of Our Lady: The incestuous mother, Speculum historiale (BNF Fr. 50, fol. 249v), 1463
- Disorie Childmelle my best cloak and green girdle (Joan Hert, 1464)
- To my daughters my best girdle with silver mounts that formerly belonged to John Bate my father, also another green girdle, but if my wife be with a son, he shall have the best girdle (Henry Bate, 1478)
- a playne grene coorse (Paston, 1487)
BLUE
- Lancelot deceived by Brisane, Lancelot du Lac (BNF Fr. 119, fol. 398v), beginning of the 15th century
- my best corse girdill, blewe herneised with siluer and gilt (Paston, 1482)
- The Queen of Sheba (fol. 39v), Virginia (fol. 55v), and Faustine the Young (fol. 84), De mulieribus claris (BNF Fr. 599), 15th-16th century
- I bequeth to Mary Jermyn my goddought a brode corse gyrdyll of blewe harnesd wt syluyr and gylt. (Anne Barett, 1504)
PURPLE
- Portrait of a lady, c. 1460
- a purpill girdill herneisid with siluer and gilt (Paston, 1482)
- a-nother of purpill with bokyll and pendaunt, and the iijde of purpill damaske with bokell and pendaunt and vj barres of siluer and gilt (Paston, 1487)
- Son Stephen … second girdle of murray colour with silver mounts … Son Peter my best girdle of murray colour with silver mounts (Stephen Cheeseman, 1489)
- I bequeth to Elizabeth Jeage my goddoughtr … a brode corse gyrdyll of purpyll color harneysyd wt syluyr and gylt. (Anne Barett, 1504)
Since I will also forget this information if I do not write it down, here are a few of the places where one can obtain buckles & tips (or harnyses, to use the Pastons’ terminology):
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