Description

This rectangular piece of cloth is made of plain cotton fabric and features rolled hems. It can be tied as a so-called wimple or as a headscarf for medieval reenactment, but is also versatile in modern everyday life. It can be worn as a stylish hair band, a turban, a shawl draped over the shoulders or a scarf elegantly wrapped around the neck.

In the Middle Ages, married women were expected to wear a headdress (hence the German expression unter die Haube kommen, which literally translates to “coming under the bonnet” and is still a common idiom today for “getting married”). In medieval times, there were many different ways for women to cover their heads, for example with a plain or frilled/goffered veil (with or without gorget around the neck), a bonnet, a coif, a barbette and fillet, a schapel (a decorated, crown-like hoop/wreath often worn in combination with a veil), or a wimple.

There were various methods to tie a wimple, but it was generally bound around the forehead, the chin and the back of the head and always concealed the hair. Historical illustrations of wimples can for example be found in the Weltchronik – Der Stricker – Karl der Große , an illuminated parchment manuscript from around 1300, or in the Morgan Bible (also known as the Maciejowski Bible or Crusader Bible), a picture bible from the 13th century.