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Origin of Saia
Andersons book page 201 Charles V’s bride brought with her from Portugal eleven habits, of which in Spain several were converted into sayas. In contrast with the dresses previously described, the saya must have had a fitted body to which the skirt, cut separately, was joined at the waistline. It will be remembered that in our period the man’s jerkin (sayo) began to be seamed through the middle. Alcega’s Geometria was published decades later (!580) , yet its emphasis on the separate cut of saya body and skirt may be taken as significant. ABaeza’s accounts provide sayas for a laundress’s helper, for a poor woman, for Moors- one of them turned Christian_ but mostly for slaves until 1493, when such dresses were being made for servants and attendants. Four and 2/3 varas of cotton (vitre woven at Vitre, Brittany) were allowed for a maid’s saya (1498). INfanta Catalina in 1500 had velvet sayas, and Queen Isabel’s tailor (1502) was paid for 8 ½ varas of red woolen grogram (correlate) at 144 maravedis the vara for a French saya, which is characterized (1515) as having wide sleeves. For court ladies’ sayas no fabric was too handsome. In 1503, the year when Juana was battling frenziedly to rejoin her husband in Flanders, this “Most Serene Princess” was offered in the hope of distracting her no doubt, 13 ¾ varas of Genoese crimson velvet, at 2.655 maravedis the vara for a French saya. Isabel de Aragon’s trousseau (1515) included sayas requiring 13 to 17 ½ elles or varas each of velvet, damask or satin. Two with wide sleeves used brocaded velvet or gold-brocaded satin.
In the Empress’s accounts, parts associated with the saya body (cuerpo, corpino, corpecico) are neckband (cabezon), stomacher (puerta, conportina), and sleeves; with the skirt (faldamento), forepart (delanter) and foot (rudeo). For conportina I have found no relevant definition, but since its root must be related to that of puerta, one may suppose that it performed a similar function in the dress body. The Empress’s sayas were lined in part, sometimes with buckram, black or reddish, often with damask, taffeta, satin, velvet or cloth of gold or silver. Where body, sleeves, forepart or skirt-foot were lined also with precious material, the buckram must have served as interlining. A white taffeta lining is reported only for sleeves and conportinas in a saya of white silk (contonia de seda), possibly a concession to summer heat. The body lining could differ from that of other parts: in a brown velvet saya given to the Marchioness of Astorga, the body was lined with brown taffeta, while the more visible sleeves, forepart, and skirt-foot were given cloth of gold. Queen Juana’s inventory mentions for three-year-old Infanta Catalina (1510) a saya of black velvet (5 ½ varas) lined with grana; body and skirt with taffeta also. The trousseau record of Isabel de Aragon (1515) describes a wide-sleeved, black velvet saya as lined with ermine. The saya body, which fitted closely, may have opened under one arm. It met the skirt in a seam at the normal waistline or below it in front. The seam might be covered with a cloth belt or with a jeweled chain. Saya sleeves, unsewed, are mentioned in an inventory (1507). Later there are references to the wineskin type (borracha) but the most frequently cited style is the “pointed” (de punta or de media punta), also known as “French or half French” Savoyan sayas had sleeves made of strips or panes. The term saboyana would seem to relate to the fact that the Empress’s sister Beatriz married into Savoy (1521).
In the saya skirt, waistline fullness often was set in pleats across the front. Pleats can be indicated also for the whole skirt. In a crimson dress soft pleats that begin at the waistline are lost lower down. Catherine of Aragon at her first wedding (1501) wore a dress “with many plights, moch litche unto mens clothing”, which recalls the pleated skirt of a mans jerkin. The length of the saya skirt varied from one that dragged slightly, though a fair amount of train, to one long enough to require assistance in the street. This lady’s crimson dress reveals in front a yellow underskirt. The maids’ dresses are rose coloured; all the cloaks suggest black. Escorting the group is a bearded gentleman clad in black cloak, blue jerkin rose stockings, and black shoes.
Considerable attention was paid to the skirt foot (rudeo). In 1502 an attendant of Queen Isabel received, for sayas of mulberry cloth, white frieze to trim the skirt-foot and lienzo de naval to line it. A saya skirt, lifted to facilitate movement, exposes the inner face, which explains the care taken with a lining. Sometimes for the Empress the skirt material was repeated inside, as for a black velvet saya and a white damask one. More commonly the material varied; in a saya of crimson velvet, crimson satin formed the ruedo lining. Many times there was contrast: cloth of gold exposed against mulberry velvet, yellow taffeta against blue damask.
In addition to the saya there was a woman’s garment called by the same term as a mans jerkin-sayo. One that required 10,12, or 13 varas of cebti would have been of floor length or longer. A sayo possibly for the Queen (1495) that used only 6 ¾ varas of black satin was called “ short” (corto). For her household the sayo is most often described as mantonado or morisco, either of which could require 12 or 13 varas of silk or velvet. Mantones are defined as two bands of trimming a waist at front and back, of the same material as the waist, three fingers wide at the shoulders and narrowing toward the point where they meet at the waistline. Sayos mantona-dos were heavily embroidered with gold or silver, perhaps in such bands. A medio sayo, mantonado or morisco, consisted of two contrasting fabrics, brocade with Rouen cloth, cebti, satin, or velvet. Queen Juana had a sayo morisco, made with alternate gores (jirones) of blue velvet or blue ceti, which carried 2,728 pieces of gold shaped into little wings like those of marsh hens (alicas como rrallones, ralos). Her sayo morisco of crimson velvet gored (jironoado) with green ceti, was trimmed with gold cords and garnished at the skirt foot with strips of crimson velvet that had been embroidered with gold in flat stitch (pasado). Isabel de Aragon’s sayo morisco (1515) contained 7 varas of white brocade and 7 of crimson satin. The bipartite use of colours can be illustrated in a Morrish garment at Granada.
As mentioned, there comes a time when the low neck or the partlet with its insistent crossline dies out. Then the dress material runs continuously to a high-collared neck. I have found no illustration of this change earlier than the copy (Bruxelles. Musees Roaux de Beaux-Arts) off a Moro portraite (ca 1552) of the Empress’s daughter Juana. But it must have occurred earlier: among the Empress’s clothes are many sayos altos, which may be interpreted as high-necked dresses. Like the saya, they have bodies, linings, sleeves, skirts, and foreparts. Unusual materials are net, worked in or trimmed with gold, and calicud from India, padded or quilted (colchado).
In its reports of ladies attending hunt or joust at Naples, Questio de amor seldom details the style of they sayas but pays generous attention to trimmings, mainly appliqué. A saya of mulberry velvet and tawny brocade, quartered, is grilled in each quarter with strips of the opposite fabric set over white pestanas. On Laurencia’s yellow clothe dress are applied lozenges of blue satin, each of which carries a smaller lozenge of stamped silver on blue satin over red velvet. The Marchioness of Persiana appears in a chessboard of crimson velvet squared with gold galloons (fresos) three fingers wide” every velvet square bears a small gold column. In addition to such columns, silversmiths wroght in gold oak and fern leaves, Arabic letters, small knockers, little clubs, and branches. One hundred ten and ½ ounces of hammered gold ornaments adorned a tabard of Infanta Isabel (1487). At Arbeca (Lerida) Phelipe el Hermoso’s scribe(1503) saw a young countess wearing a crimson velvet coat laden with gold letters made by silversmiths; he neglected to record the message.
Outer Garments
FRENCH COAT ROPAS FRANCESAS
Diamonds and rubies on Queen Isabels Ropa P 239 Anderson
Wheels of pearls Flemish coat= French with a long skirt Saboyanos Roboni alla spagnola Roba-lined with fur |