Textile Fragment
ca. AD900-1300 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Woven silk, compound twill (samite). Brown, double warps and purple wefts. Possibly Byzantine or Spanish, ca. AD900-1300. The piece is covered with rows of diamonds each containing a central flower. One edge has a single row of whip stitching with a cream, double thread, probably of wool. There is some dirt on the piece and there are holes across the fabric.
Samite (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.
Samite (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.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Woven silk |
| Brief description | Woven silk, compound twill. Possibly Spanish or Byzantine, ca. AD900-1300. Purple. |
| Physical description | Woven silk, compound twill (samite). Brown, double warps and purple wefts. The piece is covered with rows of diamonds each containing a central flower. One edge has a single row of whip stitching with a cream, double thread, probably of wool. There is some dirt on the piece and there are holes across the fabric. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label | |
| Summary | Woven silk, compound twill (samite). Brown, double warps and purple wefts. Possibly Byzantine or Spanish, ca. AD900-1300. The piece is covered with rows of diamonds each containing a central flower. One edge has a single row of whip stitching with a cream, double thread, probably of wool. There is some dirt on the piece and there are holes across the fabric. Samite (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. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 1237-1864 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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