Author
Unknown
Publication Date
600
Publication Place
Egypt (made) Istanbul (made) Syria (made) -
Subject
Textiles Archaeology Africa
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
Height: 302mm, Width: 152mm
Library
Victoria and Albert Museum
Library Asset ID
770-1893
Record ID
770-1893
Library Location
Middle East Section
Date
600
Notes
A rectangle of samite, woven in blue, white and cream/buff silk (approx. 18x22 tpc). Egyptian, Byzantine or Syrian, ca. AD600-1000. The warp is cream. In the middle of the piece is a quatrefoil enclosing four birds with open wings. Two birds are the reverse of the other two. On either side of the birds are floral icons and some short crosses. There is a central strip border coming out of the quatrefoil on either side, composed of geometric shapes. There are also geometric border strips on either side of the piece. The piece has some tears and staining and the colours are faded. Samite (twill woven silk) was thought to originate from Persia under Sassanian rule (AD224-651). It was commonly decorated with pairs of animals and birds and set in pearled lotus roundels. It is often found in Western burials, within church possessions and along the Silk Road. Byzantine weaving workshops took on the samite technique to make it an essential weave of the period. It was a luxury textile of the Middle Ages brought to Europe when the Crusades opened up direct contact with the East. It was forbidden to the middle classes of France under the sumptuary rules c. 1470.
Malzemeler ve teknikler
woven silk Silk (Textile) Weaving
Fiziksel açıklama
A rectangle of samite, woven in blue, white and cream/buff silk (approx. 18x22 tpc). The warp is cream. In the middle of the piece is a quatrefoil enclosing four birds with open wings. Two birds are the reverse of the other two. On either side of the birds are floral icons and some short crosses. There is a central strip border coming out of the quatrefoil on either side, composed of geometric shapes. There are also geometric border strips on either side of the piece. The piece has some tears and staining and the colours are faded.
