Author
Unknown
Publication Date
600
Publication Place
Egypt (made) Istanbul (made) -
Subject
Archaeology Textiles Death Africa
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
Width: 115mm, Height: 125mm
Library
Victoria and Albert Museum
Library Asset ID
T.236-1957
Record ID
T.236-1957
Library Location
Middle East Section
Date
600
Notes
Woven silk/samite, compund twill, two-toned. Possibly Egyptian or Byzantine, ca. AD600-900. The piece has been attached to a backing of green satin. The imagery is in green and gold and shows Christ holding a cross and trampling a dragon. There are two Christ figures set within square, floral borders. There is selvedge on two sides. A whip stitch using double threads of golden silk run around three edges. The piece is soiled and has sandy particles attached. Similar to a piece held by Abegg-Stiftung, Riggisberg. 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 Dyeing
Fiziksel açıklama
Woven silk/samite, compund twill, two-toned. The piece has been attached to a backing of green satin. The imagery is in green and gold and shows Saint George holding a cross and trampling a dragon. There are two Christ figures set within square, floral borders. There is selvedge on two sides. A whip stitch using double threads of golden silk run around three edges. The piece is soiled and has sandy particles attached. Similar to a piece held by Abegg-Stiftung, Riggisberg.
