Author
Unknown
Publication Date
500
Publication Place
Akhmim (made) -
Subject
Embroidery Africa
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
Height: 21cm, Width: 21.5cm, Mount board height: 30cm, Mount board width: 30cm, Mount board depth: 1.7cm
Library
Victoria and Albert Museum
Library Asset ID
1262-1888
Record ID
1262-1888
Library Location
Middle East Section
Date
500
Notes
This fragment is probably from the upper centre of a curtain, cut in modern times from the remains of a much larger textile. Where the wool embroidery thread is missing (insect damaged in antiquity) the drawing of the design can be seen on the linen ground. The motif of a cross within a wreath is common in early Christian art. Its use is symbolic, the cross represents Christ and the wreath His victory over death, but here the individual components are each represented realistically. The wreath, of green and red leaves or petals, is covered at its base by a basketry sleeve, serving as a handle; a jewel or brooch is missing from its apex. The cross, with slightly flared equal arms and suspended by a chain, is apparently of gold and is embellished with square and round gemstones and pairs of pearls. Jewelled pendants hang from the cross itself and from the chain. The doves are represented in shades of blue, with yellow-ringed eyes and pink legs and beak. The realistic treatment points to a comparatively early date. Most textiles recovered in Egypt are decorated in tapestry weave rather than embroidery. In the case of furnishings, however, embroidery seems to have been an established alternative.
İlişki
Greville Chester
Malzemeler ve teknikler
Plain woven linen with wool embroidery Linen Wool Plain Weave Embroidery
Fiziksel açıklama
Fragment cut from a larger hanging or curtain. The ground is plain woven undyed linen, embroidered with chain stitching and couching in coloured wool. The decoration depicts a jewelled cross pattée suspended by a chain, flanked by a pair of blue-grey doves, and within a wreath of alternating red and green leaves with a basket sleeve at its base. At the top of the wreath are the remains of a jewelled pendant, now missing. Areas where the wool embroidery thread is missing show the drawing of the design on the linen ground.
