Leonor's saya - Recreating a 13th. c. Spanish dress

The saya of doña Leonor

Leonor (?-1244) was the daughter of Alfonso VIII of Castile and Leon, and Leonor of England. She was Queen of Aragón from 1221 until her marriage was annuled in 1229. She then went back to Castile and was eventually buried in the Royal Pantheon in Burgos, where her saya is preserved. The garment could have been made specially for her burial, though its features seem consistent with what is seen in contemporary illuminations.

Features of the saya, judging from the extant garment and the pictorial evidence, appear to be:

keyhole neck opening
large, somewhat squared armholes
lacing on one side, leaving a gap through which the tunic underneath shows
fitted to the hip, with gores added below
exagerated length - both the upper and lower parts of the garment seem to be longer than needed for a person of normal proportions

Estimating the proportions of Leonor's saya

The following estimates are based on photographs of the saya. I traced the pieces and used the known measurements given [1] to work out a scale. The measurements are thus my estimates and may not be as accurate as I would like. Still, I think it worked pretty well. Note that these measurements are for one side only.

Measurement Comments

(cm) (in)

Shoulder to shoulder 20 8

Neck opening, width 10 4

Neck opening, height in front 9 3½

Armhole, height 26 10

Bust, width 38 15

Waist 37 14½

Hip 46 18 90 cm (35½ in) according to source [1]

Skirt, width at hem 87 34 180 cm (71 in) according to source [2]

Height, shoulder to hip 72 28½

Total height 197 77½ Yes, it is really long. This is a measurement given by the source [1].

Notes

[1] Total height/length, width at the hips and width at the bottom edge are given. My estimates are based mainly on the length of the dress
Concha Herrero Carretero, Museo de Telas Medievales - Monasterio de Santa María la Real de Huelgas, Burgos. Editorial Patrimonio Nacional, I.S.B.N. 84-7120-127-5

[2] The width at hem is given as 180 cm (71 in) but, strictly speaking, this must be an estimate, as the most of the two back gores are missing. It must also refer to the total width of the skirt as otherwiseit wouldn't make sense.
Concha Herrero Carretero, op.cit.

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	Measurement		Comments
	(cm)	(in)
Shoulder to shoulder	20	8
Neck opening, width	10	4
Neck opening, height in front	9	3½
Armhole, height	26	10
Bust, width	38	15
Waist	37	14½
Hip	46	18	90 cm (35½ in) according to source [1]
Skirt, width at hem	87	34	180 cm (71 in) according to source [2]
Height, shoulder to hip	72	28½
Total height	197	77½	Yes, it is really long. This is a measurement given by the source [1].