Black Duchess

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To the left of the mirror was a dressing table, also carved from brown wood. To the left of the dressing table was a wall that divided the room almost in two with carved images of biblical scenes and other medieval themes.

I must say this room had a resemblance to the nursery upstairs as it was almost entirely decorated in carved wood. However, it was obvious that it belonged to an adult.

On the right side of the mirror there were a desk, a book stand, a window, and a huge fireplace. An amazing sight was the window which looked out onto the fields.

“I wonder if all the duchesses lived like this,” I said to my husband in a half-whisper; I was shocked.

To say that the room was gorgeous is to say nothing. Tapestries hung behind the furniture, large and soft. On both sides of the door were tall, Gothic, open wardrobes full of medieval clothes. Dresses and hats seemed to be everywhere. It was clear that they were all made of a rather chic fabric, embroidered with semiprecious stones.

I had an overwhelming wish to touch them.

The dresses were made of velvet of different colors: powdery, mint, and turquoise and trimmed with fur. There were dresses made of satin, mostly with a high waist and open chest as befitted the Burgundian fashion of the 15th century.

One dress attracted me especially – I couldn’t take my eyes off it. It felt as if some very stormy and important experiences were connected to it. It was a warm dress made of heavy, blood-red velvet. Made with a high waist, it was trimmed with silver threads and fur. The skirt was embroidered in the form of a cape – something like a petticoat – made of heavy brocade; and the sleeves were long and fairy-like and went down to the floor. Medieval women dressed much brighter than modern ones.

In one of the wardrobes were hats in which women put up their hair. The collection included two-horned caps with short veils, cropped cones, and, of course, my favorite: hennins, fairy hats. In my opinion, nothing reflected the Gothic era like a hennin. These tall, conical hats sometimes reached up to two meters, and silk fabric fell from the tip of the cap… a real fairy hat.

I began to pet the dresses like one would a cat. I had a feeling that I missed them.

My husband looked at me bewildered.

“Be careful in case these dresses haven’t been shaken out in the last 500 years,” he cautioned.

“The velvet… and the stones …,” I said dreamily.