The Met Letter - German 16th C. Coif/Cap

OK folks. I have drafted a letter for the Met (I still need to figure out who there to send it to...but that is the next step). Please review it and let me know if you have any other questions you would like included or if you believe there should be other changes to the letters contents.

Thank you!

***MET LETTER***

Good Afternoon,

 
Allow me to introduce myself; my name is Cherylyn Crill-Hornsby and I am writing to you today on behalf of a group of historical costumers who are interested in further details regarding the item described below and shown in the attached image (image of cap will be attached to the acutal e-mail to the Met. In the meantime, go here if you want to see it in my prior entry). 

Cap (Coif), 16th century
German
silk; 13 x 11in. (33 x 27.9cm)
Rogers Fund, 1908 (Accession # 08.194.1)

 

After some debate as to the original use of this cap in the arrangement of layers composing 16^th C German headdress, we would like to seek further information from the Met on this item. Specifically, we are hoping to answer the following question:

 

1)     Where was the cap original from?

2)     Is there any more date specific information to be had (early, mid or late century)?

3)     Is there any hypothesis as to the gender of the intended wearer (we would assume for a woman)?

4)     Are there diagrammatic sketches of the cap available with measurements?

a.      Specifically, is the 13 X 11 inch measurement of the cap when flat, or of the entire length and width of the cap?

5)     The seam running from the wide/dark boarder to the narrower boarder (and apparently through the line of embroidery) appear to curve rather than create a 90 degree angle; is this the case or a matter of the manner in which the cap is displayed?

a.      Other than those seams visible in the image , are there any others that are not clearly visible?

6)     The narrower of the two reinforced edges (parallel to the line of embroidery work), appears to have been gathered at some point. Is there any evidence of how this gathering was done and if it was a part of the original cap design – or perhaps instead a mater of the method in which the cap was stored?

a.      How was this edge finished? (Bias) Tape? Wide hem?

7)     Is the cap lined? Is the darker/wider band of cloth self lined or lined in another fabric?

8)     Does the difference in color between the band and the main ‘body’ of the cap indicate a change in fabric, or the presence of dye?

 

We hope to use this information to help in the recreation of historically documentable head wear for this time period. The number of extant pieces that are available for research of this type is extremely limited, and can make these reconstructions highly conjectural.

 

Given the sometimes complex structures represented in art, this lack of original resources represents a great challenge, but one that we welcome: With your assistance, we hope to be one step closer to determining how these many-layered hats were structured and worn.

 

Thank you for your assistance!

 

Yours,

 

My Signature