Belt

Houppelandes are worn with a belt. However, Jean Creton was not particularly interested in belts. In his manuscript there are only two, not very detailed, belt depictions. Those are depicted as golden or brass in color and either stamped with square patterns or composed of plaques:

*Gallery 1. Belt depictions from Jean Creton’s manuscript, likely plaque belts*

Other contemporary manuscripts give us more belt details:

Gallery 2. Men’s belts in the first decades of the 15:th century of the long-narrow style. Cas des nobles hommes et femmes, *Jean Bocace*, *French translation 1401*

Gallery 3. Men’s belts in the first decades of the 15:th century, likely of the long- narrow style. Left: The Book of the Queen, Christine de Pizan, 1410-1414. Middle and right: Cas des nobles hommes et femmes, Jean Bocace, French translation 1401

*Figure 1. Belts of ambiguous design, Legends of the Holy Grail (BNF Arsenal 3479), 1407, plate 622*

*Figure 2. Belts of mixed designs, from Dialogues de Pierre Salmon ca 1411-1413*

Gallery 4. Men’s belts in the first decades of the 15:th century. Left: plaque belt, The Book of the Queen, Christine de Pizan, 1410-1414, France, plate f81. Middle and right: Long-narrow belts, The Bedford Hours, 1410-1430, plate 096r

*Figure 3. Mainly plaque belts, The Book of the Queen, Christine de Pizan, 1410-1414, France, plate f81*

*Gallery 5. Belts from Liege version of Ibn Buṭlān’s Tacuinum Sanitatis, MS 1041, 1370-1400*

In addition, there are several good compilations of late 14:th and early 15:th century belts and belt details, especially for the latter half of the 15:th century:

The book ”Dress Accessories, c. 1150- c. 1450 (Medieval Finds from Excavations in London)” by Geoff Agan and Frances Pritchard, 2013
Larsdotter’s compilation
An Armour Archive forum thread

Belt styles in the time of Jean Creton

To summarize, two main styles of belts were used at the time of Jean Creton:

Plaque belts or knight girdles
Long-narrow belts with mounts

Plaque belts and knight girdles were usually wide but not longer than the diameter of the wearer’s waist. They are often depicted as fully gilded, but likely could have enamel paintings and other decorations.

Long-narrow belts were long enough to be tied around themselves and left dangling with a decorative strap ending. The buckle and hanging strap-end part could be positioned either at the wearer’s front or back. Belt widths between 2-4 cm seems to have been common, while lengths could be up to 180 cm. The leather was often dyed; black was most common, but red and green colors also occur. It could also be stamped or embossed. Alternatively, the leather could be covered by colored velvet. Decorative mounts were placed at intervals dependent on the wallet of the wearer. A dagger was often fastened to the belt, hanging at the wearer’s back.

Bells

Folly bells are not depicted in Jean Creton’s manuscript but were a fashionable accessory at the time, worn by both men and women. Other dangling decorations were also common.

*Gallery 6. Bells examples. Left: from De Renner manuscript, Germany, 1407. Right: from The Book of the Queen, Christine de Pizan, 1410-1414*

Jean Creton’s belt

Jean Creton was not a knight which makes him less likely to have worn a knight’s girdle. His humble style without visible accessories suggest that he could have used a leather belt of the long-narrow style, without any bells. Based on the the color scheme of his outfit, a black leather belt with silver parts seems suitable. Given his trip to England, the use of belt parts copied from the London excavations seem fitting.

Ornamental motifs

Long-narrow belts usually had a buckle, a strap end and decorative mounts. The acorn (oak nut), thistle and bud were all popular motifs in the time of Jean Creton, especially in strap ends and other belt decorations. The French lily (Fleur du Lys) could also be a good choice for decorative mounts, due to its association with the French nobility.