Textile
ca. AD600-900 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Several fragments of a compound weave, samite. Possibly Egyptian or Byzantine, ca. AD600-900. The design, in brown and cream, is hard to distinguish but the edge of a floral bordered roundell can be seen. This appears to have a horse within along with other motifs.
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.
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.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Fragments of samite, compound weave. silk. |
| Brief description | Fragments of samite. Possibly Egyptian or Byzantine, ca. AD600-900 |
| Physical description | Several fragments of a compound weave, samite. The design, in brown and cream, is hard to distinguish but the edge of a floral bordered roundell can be seen. This appears to have a horse within along with other motifs. |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | Objects 127-1896 to 140-1896 inclsive purchased together for £12 from Henry Wallis, F.S.A. |
| Summary | Several fragments of a compound weave, samite. Possibly Egyptian or Byzantine, ca. AD600-900. The design, in brown and cream, is hard to distinguish but the edge of a floral bordered roundell can be seen. This appears to have a horse within along with other motifs. 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. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 139-1896 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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