Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index


  • Record Number: 47153
  • Author(s)/Creator(s): Krieg , Martha Fessler
  • Contributor(s):
  • Title: A Florilegium Drawn from the Works of Gilbert of Hoyland, Primarily from His Sermons on the Song of Songs
  • Source: Cistercian Studies Quarterly 57, 2 ( 2022): Pages 141 - 166.
  • Description: In the subsection "Costume History" (pages 146-147), the author quotes passages from Gilbert of Hoyland's sermons reflecting on the spiritual meaning of women's breasts within the context of the Song of Songs. Gilbert refers to standards of beauty and ways in which women add to their appearance with brassieres. He provides an allegorical interpretation of this beauty practice as a preacher using restrained language.
    "And if you wish to hear some spiritual and more developed interpretation of their beauty, I refer you to the devices of women, who cultivate and develop physical beauty and have mastered this art. For what are they more anxious to avoid in embellishing the bosom than that the breasts be overgrown or shapeless and flabby, or occupy the spaces of the bosom itself? Therefore they constrain overgrown and flabby breasts with brassieres, artfully remedying the shortcomings of nature. Beautiful indeed are breasts which are slightly prominent and are moderately distended; neither raised too much nor level with the bosom, as if pressed back but not pressed down, gently restrained but not hanging loose." Those who must utter good, consoling words should "imitate the art and care of women. Let him [the preacher] adopt restrained language; let not the breasts of his words be sloppy or tumble out in disorder…. Let them not have more bulk than grace, more flesh than milk. Let his discourse be pure and prudent, as occasion demands…. The breasts should rise from the bosom and cling there; the bosom should not be merged into the breasts…. The breasts must be restrained lest they spill over in excess." [Source of translations:
    Gilbert of Hoyland, Sermons on the Song of Songs Volume 2, translated by Lawrence C. Braceland. Cistercian Publications, 1978-1979. Page 377-379. Reprinted by Gorgias Press, 2010 and available as an ebook from De Gruyter.] [Note supplied by Feminae]
  • Article Type: Journal Article ; Translation
  • Subject (See Also): Beauty Brassieres Breasts Clothing Gilbert of Hoyland, Abbot of Swineshead Preaching Sermons Underwear
  • Award Note:
  • Geographic Area: British Isles
  • Century: 12
  • Primary Evidence:
  • Illustrations:
  • Table:
  • Abstract:
  • Related Resources:
  • Author's Affiliation:
  • Conference Info: - , -
  • Year of Publication: 2022.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN/ISBN: 10626549 (print)