Poperinge ladies embroider medieval epic’s sauciest scenes
Seven ladies of Poperinge have spent over a thousand hours embroidering two scenes from a famous medieval love story. The women chose the most erotic scenes from Floris and Blancheflour that was once popular in the vernacular in many European countries.
The embroidery forms part of a tapestry about Floris and Blancheflour that stretches for 100 metres. It’s the tale of a Christian girl, who is sold as a slave girl to the Emir of Cairo. Floris is the son of a Moorish king of Spain. The Flemish version of the story was penned by Diederik van Assenede 750 years ago.
At the request of the people of Assenede, a town in East Flanders, embroideresses from across the continent of Europe have been asked to embroider parts of the story. The ladies of Poperinge, a town in West Flanders Province, were entrusted with the task of bringing the hottest scenes of the tale to life.
In the tale Floris tracks down his beloved Blancheflour, but the emir finds them in flagrante delicto. Their adultery means they now both face the death sentence, but the emir realises the power of their love and their willingness to die for each other and frees them both.