Is he wearing pearls?

[xeresana]

OK...so I'm a notorius disaster with posting photos. Let's see if this will show up.

 

[xeresana]

Whew! It worked. Are those pearls, do you think?

 

[jshepherd]

Is that Vlad Tepes (Dracula)? From all the stories I have heard of the guy, none of them talked about a pearl collection. I would assume the headpiece has a type of mail or something on it.

 

[xeresana]

Yep. That's Vlad. I saw a show on the History Channel the other night and then kept flashing that portrait. In the portrait on the screen, they looked much more pearl-like. I wouldn't have picked him for a pearl-lover.

I can't find a good online picture to post though, that shows how pearl-y they looked on TV.

 

[xeresana]

http://www.draculas.info/gallery/picture_of_portrait_of_vlad_the_impaler-2/

Maybe this one is more pearl-looking?

What do you think? Is Dracula wearing pearls?

 

[Satine De La Courcel]

Yup, that would be Vlad the Impailer! Or as we have come to know him Dracula.... I am convinced those are pearls, other gemstones painted Pre 1600 are not as "soft looking" as are pictured here,

Pearls were a Status symbol sought after by royalty and the wealthy

Did Some digging onlie and got a better look I also would say Yes undoubtedly Vlad the Impailer, Dracula(son of the dragon) Tepes is most definately wearing pearls!


Cheers
Satine

 

[Valeria101]

Finally, a thread about a fellow countryman!

The portrait wasn't made to flatter, and most likely there was no seating: this one comes from a gallery of curiosities (Insbruck, Ambras Castle: Listed at source HERE).

Given that this particular prince used to run a rather tight budget throughout his life (even not counting jail, exile, violent loss and regain of power twice...) I wonder if those may have been his, or the painter's compliment so to speak. Although that portrait wasn't meant to flatter. Without a sitter, the painter should have had at hand some of the sketches published by German and Hungarian pamphlets; including this dated in 1491 (Listing at the british Library. There are others, each with a different thinghie instead of the pearly hat. I do not know of any contemporary with VD though, i.e. printed before December 1476.

Methinks, this would have been a reasonable fashion choice for a painter imagining a costume in a remote country a century before: perhaps an adaptation from Ottoman head-dress (not contemporary though?) or a throw back to Byzantine use of pearls. However, I wonder if such a hat would have been a reasonable fashion choice for the wearer, since there isn't anything similar among the very scarce representations of prominent local contemporaries. The entire piece looks a tad costumey for lack of detail; which makes sense in absence of a realistic source in the hand of an obscure draughtsman of exotic oddities...

There is no inventory of jewelry in the possession of the rulers of that time. Walachian princess didn't last to settle for a dynasty so that any transfers of such possessions as a large collection of pearls would have been passed down and documented in family circles rather than court ledgers, as it would be occasionally the case elsewhere.

That's about as much as comes to mind.

2C.

 

[Satine De La Courcel]

Could be painter perogative, I doubt it and here is my reasoning why he DID come from royalty and wealth and at this time n the 15th C the wealty and the church were the only ones who could afford perls as well as allowed to wear them in many countrues.

I think this is a family piece "inherited" by him. Looking at portraits of this time period I do think they were his. not evey painter was able to use painter perogative Ie paid to make subject look richer. does not seem Vlads "style".... not many records of jewelry inventory were well documented at this time have survived either.....

He had teh meands to procure them too by being gifted or taking them cause he could I do believe the pearls are his...

my 2 C

Cheers and happy Friday everyone....

 

[Valeria101]

... Looking at portraits of this time period....

Now... I'm curious! What sources would you be using ? I haven't looked into these things until today And it sounds like I've missed a bunch (LINK ??!) 1466, pearls included alright, complete with respectable scholar's signature.

Portrait dicovered in '97 in the Esterhazy archive at Forchtenstein.... believe it or not? Since it looks as if all those pamphlet sketches could have been inspired by it (as well as the other way around !)... Oh well... why not. I cannot read Hungarian or German, the date and inscription are visible HERE. (caption inserted in picture above)

For starters, scarcely any contemporary portrait of the other royals VD would have been in touch with (Corvinus, Batori etc.) and just a frustrating little bit about Eastern European court dress at the time (i.e. ~1450-1500)...

Anything online?

PS BTW... no wonder about them pearls! There must have been plenty going around at the Esterhazy's:

 

[Nicole]

I don't know. Just because "1466" is painted in huge letters on the painting does that mean it was painted that year? The Latin reads "Vlad Dracula prince and 'waiuoda?' of Walachia (and) Transylvania most hateful enemy of the Turks." It could be a date to commemorate a famous victory.

Nicole

 

[Satine De La Courcel]

I am looking for some more 15th Century dated portraits I will post them here

There are several portraits dated in Diana Scarisbricks, Tudor and Jacobean Jewelry, I will post who and pages in a later post. This is 16th C though..

most of the stuff I found were online...

http://www.aboutromania.com/dracula.html

http://www.donlinke.com/drakula/vlad/photos.htm

these are the ones I used to Look at portriaits of the timeperiod

Enjoy!

Ash

 

[Perle]

I don't know. Just because "1466" is painted in huge letters on the painting does that mean it was painted that year? The Latin reads "Vlad Dracula prince and 'waiuoda?' of Walachia (and) Transylvania most hateful enemy of the Turks." It could be a date to commemorate a famous victory.

Nicole

"Waiuoda" probably refers to his title as voivode (roughly: military leader; later, governor).

Perle

 

[knotty panda]

I think maybe the artist was using his perrogative. The first painting xeresana posted had a jeweled star and pearl pyramid above the pearl band. Take a look at the painting in Valeria's post #9. There is a pearl spray above the pearl band.

But I sure dig that pearl lariat on Princess Christina -- and Toto too!

 

[Valeria101]

"Waiuoda" probably refers to his title as voivode (roughly: military leader; later, governor).

Perle

That sounds right.

I think maybe the artist was using his prerogative. The first painting xeresana posted had a jeweled star and pearl pyramid above the pearl band. Take a look at the painting in Valeria's post #9. There is a pearl spray above the pearl band.

A thought...

There are a dozen or so prints and other popular art objects depicting similar images - with the hat morphing in weird ways: the wide trim idea remains in most but it is either silk, fur or whatever a line drawing can imply (some appear down the links Satine posted ). That is why I thought that there could have been a source that keeps being interpreted over a couple of decades - the guys kept the orientation of the profile, the mustache... and played with the attire. Over half a century, VD wasn't 'press worthy' anymore even in the 1500s... My assumption is... that the sporadic press of the age functioned much like folklore - referencing other sporadic publications and the oral literature in creative ways to insure readable, commercial content: as in... remember the circular reference ploy Caitlin & Co. debunked about the Lao Tzu pearl? Quite similar. The pamphlets of Western Russia, Transylvania, Austria and Germany retell the VD story in a rather similar way - reinforcing and flourishing each other's version ... A thought...Clearly, being Walachian doesn't make me an expert, LOL! Only a fan

I don't know. Just because "1466" is painted in huge letters on the painting does that mean it was painted that year? [...] It could be a date to commemorate a famous victory.

Nicole

The date is interesting.. and given the place, I am wondering whether this may have had something to do with his second marriage.... which formed a Hungarian-Walachian 'power couple' and was also a 'fund raiser' for VD for his second and longer rein. The fact that VD was promoting himself as the most successful military European defender against the Ottoman empire (debatable, but not for a self-promotion campaign ) should explain the attribute given in the portrait. And the Turkish belt... and the Byzantine use of pearls. Both these details and the liaison itself also fit with the Esterhazy's policy at the time to promote their family as a natural link between Western Europe (and the Papal rich benevolence) and the more or less menacing East... Interesting times. That feel eerily familiar.

Same feeling here though - wish I would know how and if the painting was ever authenticated. Apparently there have been a number of academic publications following its discovery, but they prove awfully difficult to track down in electronic form... I'll try otherwise in the near future (fun!).

 

[Satine De La Courcel]

.

The date is interesting.. and given the place, I am wondering whether this may have had something to do with his second marriage.... which formed a Hungarian-Walachian 'power couple' and was also a 'fund raiser' for VD for his second and longer rein. The fact that VD was promoting himself as the most successful military European defender against the Ottoman empire (debatable, but not for a self-promotion campaign ) should explain the attribute given in the portrait. And the Turkish belt... and the Byzantine use of pearls. Both these details and the liaison itself also fit with the Esterhazy's policy at the time to promote their family as a natural link between Western Europe (and the Papal rich benevolence) and the more or less menacing East... Interesting times. That feel eerily familiar.

Same feeling here though - wish I would know how and if the painting was ever authenticated. Apparently there have been a number of academic publications following its discovery, but they prove awfully difficult to track down in electronic form... I'll try otherwise in the near future (fun!).

The Date is interesting...... as I stated before There are 16th Century portraits with names and dates on them. Unsure of 15th C I am unable thus far to fins anythign onlin after 4 hours aof searching to no avail.

Anyway

Here are teh pages in Diana scarisbrick's Book Tudor and jacobean Jewelry of portraits with "Date labels" on them
Pg 29 Lady Elizabeth Bru=ydges

Pg 50 man wearing a skull ring
Pg 54 Anne Boelyn
Pg 60 noble ;lady
pg 79 Thopught to be Helena Snakenborg

these specific ones are the ones I can clearly see dates there are others in this book that i cna not conform teh date labels on thme either too small or cut off..
Looking for links onliine too..

this book has LOTs of pearls In many portraits!!!!!

chers

Ash

 

[Satine De La Courcel]

Some links to 16th Century portriats some earlier some have pearls some do not lots of fun stuff though.

Enjoy!

http://tudorhistory.org/files/galleryindex.html

http://www.marileecody.com//nobilitypics.html

http://www.marileecody.com/images.html

http://sayaespanola.glittersweet.com/main.htm

 

[Valeria101]

Some links to 16th Century portriats some earlier some have pearls some do not lots of fun stuff though.

Enjoy!

Sure do!! Yay!!

Found online some bits of one source I was thinking to look up - at least for Hungary and Poland's 1450s. THIS Now, this Polish style would have applied to Moldova somewhat. Wallachia would have also had some substantial touch of Ottoman fashion with a doze of Hungary, Italy (fabrics and embroidery) etc. over the local base and with a doze of infatuation with Byzantium... I mean, VD's Moldovan cousin saw themselves like this (& detail) in a votive image dedicating a church. Much as his successor, Radu the Handsome did. In fact, that is the only type of portrait they sought to ever have... And that is one reason why I may know better what the Tudor court might have looked like than these folks close to home

 

[Satine De La Courcel]

Costumers manifesto has lots of great and Fun stuff!!! Tudor and Elizabethan stuff is some of the "best documented" out there ther is so much of it arround and available to the public and "most studied" as a result...

Cheers

Ash