14th c. Reversible Linen Men’s Cotehardie

Our men’s cotehardie is based on contemporary artwork, specifically the splendid examples in the Lancelot du Lac manuscript (circa 1380). This magnificently illustrated rendition of Chretien de Troyes’ account of the quest for the Grail, was produced for the court of Bernarbo Visconti, Count of Milan, and it remains one the most cherished pictorial sources for fashion, arms, and armour in aristocratic courts of the late 14th century.

The cotehardies depicted in Lancelot are of a classic form that was particularly popular in northern Italy and France during the last quarter of the 14th century: short and closely fitted, with a long torso and a flare at the hips. There is a short, standing collar, distinctive to the last quarter of the century. The arms have a grand assiette arm-hole and are generously full to the elbow, at which point they significantly taper to follow the line of the forearm. The sleeve buttons from elbow to the cuff with cast, metal buttons, as is depicted in the manuscript. We have followed contemporary artwork by seaming the sleeve at the elbow and making the lower sleeve out of a contrasting color of fabric. This gives the garment a particularly distinctive, and dressier, look.

The Lancelot manuscript depicts the clothing of a royal court, and their real-world counterparts would have been cut and sewn to fit each customer. Because they are a very difficult garment to fit “off the rack”, we have departed from what is illustrated using other contemporary design elements to provide a more comfortable fit. One alteration is a small slit in the side seam of each hem, allowing a greater freedom of motion when sitting or walking. Similar examples can be seen in a variety of French, English and Italian sources, such as the Epistre au roi Richart of Phillipe de Mezieres (1395), and illustrated in the manuscript il Fior di Battaglia of Fiore dei Liberi (1409). The most notable example, and one of the earliest, is the surviving cotehardie or “pourpoint” of Charles of Blois (circa 1364).

Our cotehardie is based on contemporary artwork from a variety of sources. We have retained all of the classic elements of the historical design: long, full sleeves that taper at the wrists, a body that flares at the hips, and cast pewter buttons based on a contemporary pattern and arranged in a uniquely medieval placement. As was done in the 14th century, this cotehardie can be worn alone over a linen shirt, or beneath a houppelande. Revival cotehardies are available in linen – the ubiquitous fabric of medieval Europe -, Wool, and Brocade for the man of means. All edges are finished or fully enclosed, improving both aesthetics and durability.