Flea fur

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Young Woman with Flea Fur (1530–1535), painting by Parmigianino

A zibellino or Flohpelzchen , from Italian also Zibellino ( "Zobelchen"), a small fur from was ermine , sable , polecat fur or raccoon fur , often decorated with elaborate head, tail and paws with precious stones, which in the late Middle Ages and especially in the Renaissance became fashionable in European aristocratic circles and among the very wealthy bourgeoisie. It was worn slung over the shoulder or occasionally on a chain on the belt. Dorothee Backhaus mentions "Contenance" as another name for the flea fur.

Allegedly, the function of the flea fur should be to attract annoying insects such as fleas and to distract them from the wearer's body. Since the fleas react to body heat and not to hair, there are some indications that the fur, which is mainly to be carried in the hand, was only subsequently assigned the effect of a flea trap. The same applies to the shirts made of rabbit skin , which were supposedly once very popular in Siberia , "as practical, because they are easy to shake out flea traps".

It is uncertain when the first ornamented fur necklaces were made. The idea must have come from a goldsmith who worked for the royal courts in the late 14th and early 15th centuries, creating the “splendid and fantastic” jewels that are listed in inventories such as those of the House of Burgundy and the French Royalty.

The finest specimens were made from whole animal-shaped skins and worn over clothing, often with additional jewelry. As early as 1467, the flea fur was mentioned in the inventory of Charles the Bold of Burgundy . A painting by Parmigianino shows an Italian patrician woman around 1540 with a zibellino over her shoulder; a total of over thirty images are known. Even if the inventory after the death of Edward VI. Two sable necklaces were found, so there does not seem to be a picture of a man with flea fur. The Duchess of Ferrara owned a sable with a gold head with 12 rubies, 3 diamonds, 3 emeralds and 4 pearls. In the estate of Catherine of Poland there was a similar fur, the value of which was estimated at 750 thalers. Philippine Welser owned a set that consisted of a golden sable head with four paws, 5 rubies and 5 emeralds on it, the eyes were garnets, in the mouth there was a pearl, on the paws rubies and emeralds.

Maria Stuart (1542–1587) owned, among others, an ermine necklace with heads and feet made of enamelled gold, as an additional collar adorned with precious stones and pearls. Presumably the necklace was put together from several skins, which are usually too small. This was not always necessary, as the decorative furs were not only used as collars around the neck, but often simply hung on the belt or were used as fans, fly whisk or simply as toys in idle moments. Mary the Scottish Queen owned several of these ermines, with heads made of various valuable materials. She had necklaces made of marten fur and wolf skin , but also one made of plush silk or velvet. This should have been an animal imitation. The head was carved from gagat (pitch charcoal), it was decorated with gold and a black enameled chain. One of the heads of the real fur necklaces, on the other hand, was made of crystal.

The fashion of the so-called “ fur necklaces ” with elaborate heads and paws and tails left on the fur was, without the ulterior motive of catching fleas, very widespread in the nineteenth century and has been picked up again and again since then. Until the 1960s was for the Necklace einfellige yet the term strangler in use.

Another interpretation is a connection between the use of flea skins and Greek mythology. Iconographically this was assigned to the difficult birth of Hercules as the illegitimate son of Zeus. The maid of Alcmene , Galanthis , had shortened the pains of the mother of the hero with a lie against the will of Hera. Because of this she was turned into a weasel by Eileithyia and condemned to give birth to her children out of the mouth and to receive them in the ear. The depictions of women with flea skins are accordingly often associated with the birth of a high-ranking child and, according to Julia V. Emberley, do not lack a certain coquetry with female power and independence.

  • Countess Livia da Porto ( Paolo Veronese )

  • Head of a Zibellino, almost like that of the portrait of Veronese the Countess da Porto (around 1550–1559).

  • Design for the decoration of a flea fur (E. Hornack)

  • The flea fur of Anna of Austria (1528–1590), illustrations by Hans Mielich

  • Front and back side

  • Anna with flea fur on the waist chain

literature

Web links

Commons : Flea Furs and Fur Necklaces  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Dorothee Backhaus: Breviary of fur . Keysersche Verlagsbuchhandlung Heidelberg - Munich, 1958, p. 28 (→ table of contents) .
  2. ^ A b c Tawny Sherrill: Fleas, Fur, and Fashion: "Zibellini" as Luxury Accessories of the Renaissance. In: Robin Netherton, Gale R. Owen-Crocker (eds.): Medieval clothing and textiles. Volume 2. Boydell Press, Woodbridge et al. 2006, ISBN 1-84383-203-8 , pp. 121-150 (English).
  3. ↑ Without author's name: tobacco goods fair in Kharkov - contribution to the history of the tobacco shops . In: Der Rauchwarenmarkt No. 41, October 9, 1936, Verlag Dr. Paul Schöps, Leipzig, p. 5.
  4. ^ A b c John Hunt: Jeweled Neck Furs and "Flea Pelts" . In: Pantheon - International Journal for Art , May / June 1963, Bruckmann Munich, pp. 150–157.
  5. ↑ a b Without indication of the author: Das "Flhpelzchen" . In: Der Rauchwarenmarkt , Leipzig December 3, 1937, p. 3.
  6. ↑ Francis Weiss : The flea fur - a ticklish thing. In: Pelz International. Volume 32, April 1979, ISSN  0171-533X , pp. 178, 180, 182.
  7. ↑ Alexander Tuma: Pelz-Lexikon. Fur and rough goods. Volume 21: Rauhwarenhandel - Zyperkatze. Verlag Alexander Tuma, Vienna 1951, search term: Würger .
  8. ↑ sales letter of Heinz Pape, fur Strangler fabrication , Leipzig 1935th
  9. ^ Julia V. Emberley: Venus and furs. The cultural politics of fur. IB Tauris, London 1998, ISBN 1-86064-230-6 .