Author
Unknown
Publication Date
700
Publication Place
Egypt (made) Byzantine (made) Egypt (found) -
Subject
Textiles Africa Archaeology Death
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
Piece 1 height: 265mm, Piece 1 width: 35mm, Piece 2 height: 103mm, Piece 2 width: 29mm, Piece 3 height: 104mm, Piece 3 width: 34mm
Library
Victoria and Albert Museum
Library Asset ID
2201E-1900
Record ID
2201E-1900
Library Location
Middle East Section
Date
700
Notes
Several fragments of samite, compound twill. Possibly Egyptian or Byzantine, ca. AD700-1000. Three main pieces. Cream, floral circles cover the piece and there is at least three circles that inclose floral motifs. Red background. 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 Weaving
Fiziksel açıklama
Several fragments of samite, compound twill. Three main pieces. Cream, floral circles cover the piece and there is at least three circles that inclose floral motifs. Red background.
