{{Short description|Late medieval piece of clothing}} thumb|Man on the right wearing a pourpoint, The Hague MMW, 10 B 23.jpg The '''pourpoint''' (formerly called jack or paltock) was a garment worn by noblemen of the late 14th century in civilian or military situations.<ref name=":1">{{cite web | title=Le Pourpoint de Charles de Blois. Collection J. Chappée / L. de Farcy | website=Gallica | date=1910 | url=https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k6455702b/f33.item.texteImage | language=fr }}</ref> It is not to be confused with the jupon or the umbrella term "gambeson". This garment is known for its wasp waisted and round silhouette which was achieved thanks to its sewing pattern, its quilting and its "grande assiette" style sleeves.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Karbonik |first=Katelin |title=Clothing the Medieval Body: A Reconstruction of the Pourpoint of Charles de Blois |year=2021 |language=English}}</ref>
== Etymology == left|thumb|172x172px|mid 14th century gambeson Pourpoint is a loan from the French word "pourpoint" which came from the Middle French noun "Pourpoint"<ref name=":2">{{cite web | title=Dictionnaire du Moyen Français (1330-1500) | website=Medieval Digital Resources | publisher = Medieval Academy of America | url=https://mdr-maa.org/resource/dictionnaire-du-moyen-francais-1330-1500/}}</ref>(the quilted garment) from the Middle French "pourpoindre" (meaning to quilt or to embroider)<ref name=":2" /> which came from the Latin "perpunctus".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch (FEW) - Lire Page |url=https://lecteur-few.atilf.fr/lire/80/261?DMF |access-date=2024-02-18 |website=lecteur-few.atilf.fr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kelly |first=Tasha Dandelion |date=2014 |title=Martial Beauty: Padding and Quilting One's Way to a Masculine Ideal in 14th Century France |url=https://cottesimple.com/articles/martial-beauty/#7}}</ref>
The word pourpoint existed as early as the late 12th century. In fact, it was originally a synonym for the terms gambeson and aketon in both England (it supplanted the gambeson in Henry III's Assize of Arms (1242)<ref>Bennett, Stephen (2023), "Under or Over (or Both)? Textile Armour and the Warrior in the High Middle Ages", Arms & Armour 20/1, 35-53</ref> and France (as described in the 14th century "pélérinage de la vie humaine"). But in the late 14th century, it turned into the Pidgeon breasted garment we know today. At this time, they were commonly referred to as jacks or paltocks.<ref>The medieval inventories of the Tower armories 1320-1410 by Roland Thomas Richardson on page 182-183</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Lespinasse |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BG6dRgdKRVsC |title=Les métiers et corporations de la ville de Paris: XIIIe-XVIIIe siècle |date=1897 |publisher=Imprimerie nationale |page=205 |language=fr}}</ref>
== History == The pourpoint marked a major shift in western European fashion as it led to people moving away from the boxy silhouettes of ancient and earlier medieval clothes into the elaborate garb of the Late Medieval period and the Modern era.<ref>Katelin Karbonik, ''Clothing the Medieval Body: A Reconstruction of the Pourpoint of Charles de Blois'', p. 15.</ref> It was invented as a military garment which cut into the waist in order to prepare the body for the breastplate that sat between the ribs and the pelvis. Thus, shifting its weight from the shoulders to the hips.
Instead of wearing the armor's weight on the shoulders, late medieval knights opted to distribute their harness' weight throughout the body.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Arms and Armor—Common Misconceptions and Frequently Asked Questions (4th fact) |date=October 2004 |url=https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/aams/hd_aams.htm}}</ref> Eventually, this garment started being worn by noble men in their day-to-day lives as outer garments (over the undertunic) replacing the tunic.
As soon as the 15th century, manuscripts depict people wearing doublets instead.
The word was also used for a women's garment in the 16th century. An inventory of the wardrobe of Mary, Queen of Scots at Chartley Castle in 1586, written in French, lists fifteen "pourpoincts" of satin, taffeta, and canvas. These were described as doublets in later lists.<ref>Alexandre Labanoff, ''Lettres de Marie Stuart'', vol. 7 (London: Dolman, 1844), pp. 234–35.</ref>
== Design ==
=== Pattern === thumb|Diagram of a pourpoint
The pourpoint featured many sewing techniques unseen in 21st century clothes. These include the ogee shaped front panels which make the torso rounder by forcing the belly inwards,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kelly |first=Tasha Dandelion |title=Pourpoint of Charles de Blois: In-Person Observations |url=https://cottesimple.com/articles/observations-pourpoint-charles-de-blois/}}</ref> an armscye big enough to cover part of the ribs and chest (grande assiette style) and curved sleeves designed to allow mobility despite the light padding and tight fitting woven fabric.
=== Fabric === Many fabrics have been used for the pourpoint but the main ones are wool, fustian<ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-12-28 |title=How in Man Shall Be Armed |url=http://www.chronique.com/Library/Armour/armyd1.htm |access-date=2024-02-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111228020504/http://www.chronique.com/Library/Armour/armyd1.htm |archive-date=2011-12-28 }}</ref> silk Lampas<ref name=":0" /> and silk satin/canvas of Reims<ref name=":2" /> as outer fabrics. The same fabrics were used as lining but soft wool fabrics were commonly used even by the nobility. As for interlining, wool fabrics such as ''blanchet'' and ''carisé'' were used. Blanchet was an umbrella term for white canvas of varying qualities and prices, while carisé was a twill rudimentary wool fabric imported from England to France and the duchy of Burgundy.<ref>{{Cite thesis |title=Pour soi vêtir honnêtement à la cour de monseigneur le duc : costume et dispositif vestimentaire à la cour de Philippe le Bon, de 1430 à 1455 |url=https://theses.hal.science/tel-00392310 |publisher=Université de Bourgogne |date=2003-11-23 |degree=PhD|language=fr |first=Sophie |last=Jolivet}}</ref> Otherwise, strong linen or cotton was used.
Doublets made of silk fabric were worn in the battlefield.<ref name=":1" />
== Illustration gallery == <gallery> File:1370s Milan épartement des Manuscrits. NAF 5243.jpg|Milanese miniature depicting a pourpoint File:1380s France(north) BL Yates Thompson MS 21.png|Dancing nobles wearing garments over pourpoint </gallery>
== References == {{reflist}}
{{commons category|Pourpoint}} {{Types of armour}} {{Elements of Medieval armour}}
Category:14th-century fashion Category:Medieval European costume