Author
Unknown
Publication Date
1000
Publication Place
Istanbul (made) -
Subject
Archaeology Textiles Africa
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
Length: 175mm, Height: 80mm
Library
Victoria and Albert Museum
Library Asset ID
8561-1863
Record ID
8561-1863
Library Location
Middle East Section
Date
1000
Notes
A samite fragment. Byzantine ca. AD1000-1300. From Halberstadt Cathedral. Maroon background with green floral rosettes and vine leaves. Centre of the rosettes are yellow or red. Some damage along one edge. Selvedge on one side. Double warp, z-spun. 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
A samite fragment. Maroon background with green floral rosettes and vine leaves. Centre of the rosettes is yellow or red. Some damage along one edge. Selvedge on one side. Double warp, z-spun.
