Mulquinerie, is a landmark of French sartorial heritage and high craftsmanship, is the art of

weaving Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal th ...

and

trading Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. An early form of trade, barter, saw the direct exchan ...

fine fabrics composed exclusively of

linen Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant. Linen is very strong, absorbent, and dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. It also ...

: whether plain flax cloth, 'linon' or

batiste Cambric or batiste, is a fine dense cloth. It is a lightweight plain-weave fabric, originally from the commune of Cambrai (in present-day northern France), woven greige (neither bleached nor dyed), then bleached, piece-dyed, and often gl ...

. A 'mulquinier' was the

artisan An artisan (from french: artisan, it, artigiano) is a skilled craft worker who makes or creates material objects partly or entirely by hand. These objects may be functional or strictly decorative, for example furniture, decorative art ...

textile

designer A designer is a person who plans the form or structure of something before it is made, by preparing drawings or plans. In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, products, processes, laws, games, graphics, services, or exp ...

and weaver as well as the merchant of canvases. The mulquiniers were not only a subcategorization of the tisserand(e) artists ( hand loom weavers; French pronunciation: isʀɑ̃ but were also the traders of their own craft. This activity was predominantly developed within villages as a substantial rural

proto-industry Proto-industrialization is the regional development, alongside commercial agriculture, of rural handicraft production for external markets. The term was introduced in the early 1970s by economic historians who argued that such developments in par ...

, hence mulquiniers working on métiers à tisser in their home' basement while breathing from "bahottes" or "blocures" to obtain the most propitious humidity levels. Saint-Python Rue de Solesmes

Origins and etymology

Mulquinerie originated in the 17th and 18th centuries from

metropolitan France Metropolitan France (french: France métropolitaine or ''la Métropole''), also known as European France (french: Territoire européen de la France) is the area of France which is geographically in Europe. This collective name for the European ...

’s Northern Departments now constituting the

Hauts-de-France Hauts-de-France (; pcd, Heuts-d'Franche; , also ''Upper France'') is the northernmost Regions of France, region of France, created by the territorial reform of French regions in 2014, from a merger of Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Picardy. Its Prefectu ...

region (French pronunciation: d(ə) fʁɑ̃s translating to "Upper France" in English; Picard: ''Heuts-d'Franche''), following the territorial reform of

French Regions France is divided into eighteen administrative regions (french: régions, singular ), of which thirteen are located in metropolitan France (in Europe), while the other five are overseas regions (not to be confused with the overseas collect ...

(2014) from a merger of

Nord-Pas-de-Calais Nord-Pas-de-Calais (); pcd, Nord-Pas-Calés); is a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Hauts-de-France. It consisted of the departments of Nord and Pas-de-Calais. Nord-Pas-de-Cala ...

and

Picardy Picardy (; Picard and french: Picardie, , ) is a historical territory and a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region of Hauts-de-France. It is located in the northern part of France. Hi ...

. The activity was ubiquitous in the towns of the former

Nord-Pas de Calais Mining Basin The Nord-Pas-de-Calais Mining Basin is a mining basin in Northern France that stretches across the Nord and Pas-de-Calais departments. The region is famous for its long history of coal extraction and its testimony to a significant period in the ...

, the

Cambrésis Cambrésis () is a former ''pagus'', county and prince-bishopric of the medieval Holy Roman Empire that was annexed to the Kingdom of France in 1679. It is now regarded as one of the "natural regions" of France, and roughly equivalent to the Arro ...

sub-province or the

Thiérache The Thiérache () is a region of France and Belgium united by similar geography and architecture, including the presence of hedgerows, grassland, hilly terrain, scattered settlements, and traditionally-built stone or brick houses with stone dividi ...

including

Saint-Vaast-en-Cambrésis Saint-Vaast-en-Cambrésis () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is named after the 6th century Saint Vedast. Heraldry French sartorial heritage The city was a pivotal center of mulquinerie. See also *Communes of th ...

Saint-Hilaire-lez-Cambrai Saint-Hilaire-lez-Cambrai (, literally ''Saint-Hilaire near Cambrai'') is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Heraldry French sartorial heritage The city was a pivotal center of mulquinerie See also *Communes of the Nord de ...

Haspres Haspres () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Heraldry French sartorial heritage The city was a pivotal center of mulquinerie See also *Communes of the Nord department The following is a list of the 648 communes of t ...

, Saint-Quentin or Neuvilly. This also included

Caudry Caudry () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Its inhabitants are called theCaudrésiens. The town is mostly known as the Capital City of French Lace (along with Calais). Caudry station has rail connections to Douai, Cambr ...

, the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

capital city of French lace, which remains (in collaboration with

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. Th ...

) the only town in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

where lace is still made.

Etymologically Etymology ()The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the form of words an ...

, ‘mulquinier’ is derived from the Germanic term "mollquin" meaning 'thin canvas'. First traces of the term are encountered in the 'Charter of the mulquiniers of

Valenciennes Valenciennes (, also , , ; nl, label=also Dutch, Valencijn; pcd, Valincyinnes or ; la, Valentianae) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France, France. It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced a s ...

' in 1413 through the use of the term 'molekinier'. Among the oldest mulquinerie ancestries are the Lecygne and Legueil families tracing back beyond the 17th century being fabric dyers,

textile artist Textile arts are arts and crafts that use plant, animal, or synthetic fibers to construct practical or decorative objects. Textiles have been a fundamental part of human life since the beginning of civilization. The methods and materials u ...

s, embroiderers, patternmakers or hand-spinners.

Symbolism and patronage

The French mulquiniers' patron was

Saint Veronica Saint Veronica, also known as Berenike, was a woman from Jerusalem who lived in the 1st century AD, according to extra-biblical Christian sacred tradition. A celebrated saint in many pious Christian countries, the 17th-century ''Acta Sanctorum' ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

whose representations they celebrated biannually (

summer Summer is the hottest of the four temperate seasons, occurring after spring and before autumn. At or centred on the summer solstice, the earliest sunrise and latest sunset occurs, daylight hours are longest and dark hours are shortest, wit ...

and

winter Winter is the coldest season of the year in polar and temperate climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Different cultures ...

) as in many pious

Christian countries A Christian state is a country that recognizes a form of Christianity as its official religion and often has a state church (also called an established church), which is a Christian denomination that supports the government and is supported by ...

Gallery

File:Saint Veronica with the Veil LACMA M.84.20 (1 of 2).jpg File:Master of Guillebert de Mets (Flemish, active about 1410 - 1450) - Saint Veronica Displaying the Sudarium - Google Art Project.jpg File:Ohmenheim St. Elisabeth Veronica 559.jpg File:La Verónica mostrando la Santa Faz a la Virgen y San Juan (Museo del Prado).jpg File:Derick Baegert - Christ Carrying the Cross and Veronica with the Sudarium - WGA1143.jpg File:St. Veronica with the Holy Kerchief - Meister der Heiligen Veronika.jpg File:Lieven van Lathem (Flemish - Saint Veronica - Google Art Project.jpg

Expertise or archival materials

Bibliography

* René Debrie (dir.), ''La Picardie'', Paris, Les Éditions d'Organisation, coll. peuple et pays de France, 1981 (). * Didier Terrier, "''Mulquiniers et gaziers: les deux phases de la proto-industrie textile dans la région de Saint-Quentin. 1730–1850'' rticle ''Revue du Nord'', 1983.

References

{{reflist Fashion French culture Textiles Weaving