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From: "David Zincavage" <>
Subject: Re: Peacock Feathers
Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2003 09:44:49 -0700
References: <2409A35B3E1C8D4D929583798DF5AA78D7D1A0@whmail01.walterhav.com>


I still think most peacock plumes would have been imported from Asia. The
peacock, I expect, did continue to be kept by kings, emperors, popes, and so
on, residing in Italy, Spain, the South of England, and the French Riviera,
but I don't think peacocks would thrive in more northerly European environs.

You are right about other feathers being highly prized for use in aigrettes.
Feathers from the African night heron were particularly prized in Poland,
and cost the kind of price usually associated with gemstones. When the
Spanish conquered Mexico, feathers of the trogon were exported to Europe,
and were more valuable by weight than gold or emeralds.


----- Original Message -----
From: "Leon Stevens" <>
To: "David Zincavage" <>; <>
Sent: Wednesday, August 06, 2003 12:20 PM
Subject: RE: Peacock Feathers


> peacock plume came from India <

David, the Romans had already domesticated peafowl over two millennia
ago and by the 14th century they were raised throughout Europe. (See
http://peacockgirl.tripod.com/ or most peafowl sites.) Nobody sent away
to India for peacock feathers. They were readily available at home.
Peacocks molt all of their tail feathers annually, so a single bird
provides a lot of plumes during its lifetime. Peafowl in Europe
amounted to little more than iridescent poultry for the rich (until it
was replaced more recently by North American turkeys). Abundant Polish
and Lithuanian portraiture contains a great many exotic aigrettes (worn
mostly by men), but none consist of peacock feathers. For a noble an
aigrette of a few peacock feathers would look pretty cheap. Ostriches
are a different story entirely. Their plumage had to be imported.
Ostriches do not fare well caged, require plenty of space and warmth,
and their kicks can be very dangerous. No illustrations of manor parks
show ostriches trotting about. Ostrich plumes have nothing to do with
the Teutonic Knights. They were ubiquitous in Europe even if rationed
at one to five per knight. The armor collections of the Met in N.Y. and
our museum here in Cleveland are awash in ostrich crests. If ostrich
plumes symbolized victories over the Teutonic Knights, then the Order
would have been decimated shortly after its inception by the looks of
European armorials and armor.


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