Hair nets / cauls worn under helmets -- myArmoury.com

Mark T · Last edited by Mark T on Fri 27 May, 2011 3:30 pm; edited 2 times in total

The thread about helmet liners touched on the relevant issue of hair nets / cauls worn under helmets, as shown in German/Austrian art of the late 15th and early 16th Cs.

I'd like to start a thread specifically for this, as I have't yet come across much discussion about it - either the historical practice, or people recreating / experimenting with it today.

So:
- Please post here any images you have of hair nets / cauls from this period.
- Feel free to also post any textual sources / quotes you know of.
- How might one go about reproducing these today? What construction does it look like they had? How would one ensure a snug fit (no elastic in the 15th C!) And so on.
- And anything else you think is relevant.

Cheers!

PS I'll post an initial image here - from the right hand panel of Durer's Paumgartner Alterpiece. I'm hoping the head covering in this image is actually a hair net, rather than a 'hat' of some kind, as the soldier seems otherwise all armoured up, with the headscarf also ready to put on under the helm, as shown in multiple images in Das Mittelalterlische Hausbuch. However, if you think it's not a hair net for under armour, please let me know ... and post other images!

Mark T · Posted: Fri 20 May, 2011 9:44 pm Post subject:

Just had an initial email from Gwen at Black Swan Designs / Historic Enterprises; she's not sure that hairnets / cauls were used under helmets. I'm hoping she can post here with more info.

In the meantime, here are some more images; the first is courtesy of Gwen:

Gwen Nowrick · Posted: Fri 20 May, 2011 11:10 pm Post subject:

Hi Mark, we didn't get to this question in our emails- I don't think these go under a helmet, why do you?

Gwen

Mark T · Posted: Sat 21 May, 2011 12:45 am Post subject:

Hi Gwen,

I think I've seen written reference to this ... I just can't recall where right now (perhaps in one of Gerry Embleton's publications?). Given that it sounds like Sean has seen a reference to this too (as posted on the helmet liner thread), perhaps he and I can hunt through our sources and see if we can track it down ... in the meantime, if anyone else has any light to shine on this, that would be great!

Gwen Nowrick · Posted: Sat 21 May, 2011 12:54 am Post subject:

I've not seen anything to infer that, so if you or anyone else can provide a reference, that would be great!.

Gwen

Mark T · Posted: Sat 21 May, 2011 1:31 am Post subject:

In searching for sources, I came across these SCA-related instructions for making a hair het. Not sure if useful, but thought I'd link to them here just in case: http://forest.gen.nz/Medieval/articles/hairnets/hairnets2.pdf

Now to find those historical references!

Mark T · Posted: Sat 21 May, 2011 2:20 am Post subject:

I've found the source I was thinking of: Gerry Embleton's Medieval military costume (Ramsbury, England: The Crowood Press, 2000), p. 82:

Sean Flynt · Posted: Sat 21 May, 2011 7:21 am Post subject:

Here's one, but it's very small. I have another at work and I'll dig that out next week.

Blaz Berlec · Posted: Sat 21 May, 2011 8:22 am Post subject:

Interesting topic, I genuinely need something to hold my hair inside the sallet. Not sure about the looks... Right now I'm using simple linen coif, but I'm not sure it was used under helmets in 15th century...

Some hairnets on men from Imareal search engine:

Geißelung Christi, 1510 ; 1520 ; Eferding ; Österreich ; Oberösterreich ; Stadtmuseum

Enthauptung des Hl. Blasius, 1515 ; 1525 ; Graz ; Österreich ; Steiermark ; Universalmuseum Joanneum ; IN 349

Hl. Daniel unterweist Bergleute, 1500 ; 1510 ; Blühnbach ; Österreich ; Salzburg ; Schloßkapelle ; IN 461 ; ja

Nothing that would indicate that the men with hairnets were wearing helmets.

Ah, the elusive armour foundations...

P. S. : Imareal have added simple English search engine, and changed some other things about their search engine:

http://www.imareal.oeaw.ac.at/realonline/

Gwen Nowrick · Posted: Sat 21 May, 2011 8:36 am Post subject:

I wouldn't necessarily conclude that because men in armour are wearing cauls that they were worn under the helmet.

I was also thinking it would be good to ask Gerry about it as well. I'll drop him a note and see what he says.

Gwen

Sean Flynt · Posted: Sat 21 May, 2011 11:48 am Post subject:

Gwen Nowrick · Posted: Sat 21 May, 2011 12:14 pm Post subject:

I'm happy to play devil's advocate here-

1) Occam's Razor argument- I propose that those are pretty fancy gizmos to wear inside a helmet. Not sure If I'd want those cords and fancy do-dads pressing into my scalp.

2) Reality argument- All the images are of a *saint*, a fictitious character. Who can say what the well dressed saint wears? Besides, there is always allegory and imagery involved in the depiction of religious people.

3) Artistic convention argument- It's pretty common to depict the subjects of these paintings wearing fashionable clothes of the day, or allegorical clues so we know who they are (St. Hubert's stag in the Paumgartner, for example). I recon you'd be hard pressed to find anyone without a hat in these images, and even less likely to find the main dude appearing bare headed.

4) Social convention argument- Hats are an integral part of the 'look', so I do believe the guy would take his arming cap off and put on a sexy fashionable caul for a captain's meeting or to have his portrait painted. There are still parts of the world where it is considered unacceptably rude to be incorrectly dressed for occasions. Americans are particularly prone to the 'casual attire' syndrome, but even today there are loads of older gents in England who garden in a vest and tie, and wouldn't be caught in public without a hat. The press nearly had a meltdown when England's Prime Minister David Cameron's wife, Samantha Cameron attended the royal wedding a couple of weeks ago without a hat.

So, still no compelling reason for me to jump on the caul-under-helmet bandwagon, and plenty against. Wink

Sean Flynt · Posted: Sat 21 May, 2011 12:54 pm Post subject:

but given the association between long hair and social status in this period, why conceal it in the case of saints, who are often depicted in the finest clothes and armour?

Gwen Nowrick · Posted: Sat 21 May, 2011 2:54 pm Post subject:

Can you re phrase that? I don't get your point.

Mark T · Posted: Sat 21 May, 2011 3:55 pm Post subject:

Mark T · Posted: Sat 21 May, 2011 5:40 pm Post subject:

PS Blaz, Sean - thanks for the images! And thanks, Blaz, for the information abou Imareal's new English search feature. A quick look suggested it's for predefined keywords, though, rather than entering search terms ... I'll have to look at it more later.

Sean: what keywords were you using for your searches? In the predefined list that Imareal gives for the 'Clothes - headdress category, they offer haarband, haarbeutel, haarhaube, and haarnetz - the last of which 'nets' the images that Blaz posted ... but none of them return the images you found!

I did find one extra image - it's hard to make out if this is a 'net' as such, or one of the solid fabric cauls. However, the real value of it shows how the caul could follow closely the line of the head - and, therefore, possibly fit fine under a helmet (if this was indeed the practice).

Oh, and I've dropped Mathieu a note to see if he and/or Gerry can offer any reflections.

Mark T · Posted: Sat 21 May, 2011 8:38 pm Post subject:

Mark T · Posted: Sat 21 May, 2011 9:34 pm Post subject:

Thanks again to a tip from Sean, here's the second textual source - but, like Embleton, not from period. The extract below is from Charles Ffoulkes's The Armourer and His Craft: From the XIth to the XVIth Century, p. 89.

Ffoulkes seems to not only suggest that cauls 'could' be worn under helmets, but goes so far as to call them 'helmet caps'. Now, we know that some other of Ffoulke's content is out-of-date ... so, this raises some questions: is Ffoulkes the only source that Embleton was drawing on back in 2000 for his statement that cauls were worn under helmets? Has Ffoulkes since then been shown to be incorrect? etc ...

The hunt continues!

Mark T · Posted: Sat 21 May, 2011 9:59 pm Post subject:

As for Ffoulkes's image sources, Fugger (in his fig. 44) and 'St George on Foot' are above. I've found two images of Felix Hungersperg, below. I've not found the 'St George Stephan Baumgartner' - if anyone else has this and could post it here, that would be great.

Blaz Berlec · Posted: Sun 22 May, 2011 1:48 am Post subject:

Sean, have you found any details about this one?

I remember seeing it on Imareal, but can't seem to find it, and I've looked through many "Enthauptungs"...