“Vivre Noblement”: Material Culture and Elite Identity in Late Medieval Flanders

Authors:
  • WCWim De Clercq
    Wim De Clercq
  • JDJan Dumolyn
    Jan Dumolyn
  • JHJelle Haemers
    Jelle Haemers
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Abstract
The example of two fifteenth-century, high-ranking officers of the Burgundian court shows how a radical transformation of the physical environment and an imitative interaction with material culture could create a powerful elite identity for those not born to nobility. A combination of evidence from archaeological, written, architectural, and art-historical sources reveals the ways in which Peter Bladelin and William Hugonet were able to parlay their newly gained social positions to achieve their ultimate goal of vivre noblement by adopting the trappings of Duke Philip the Good and other members of the Burgundian court.