Textile Fragment
ca. AD500-800 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Tapestry woven silk, compound twill. Possibly Egyptian or Byzantine, ca. AD500-800. Two-toned using brown and cream. The band is bordered on both sides with a band of floral/heart shaped icons in a row. The centre of the band shows a vase with flowers and below that a human head. The images are separated with two lines. Poor condition. Similar to 248- 1890.
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 | Tapestry woven silk, compound twill. Possibly Egyptian or Byzantine, ca. AD500-800. |
| Physical description | Tapestry woven silk, compound twill samite. Two-toned using brown and cream. The band is bordered on both sides with a band of floral/heart shaped icons in a row. The centre of the band shows a vase with flowers and below that a human head. The images are separated with two lines. Poor condition. Similar to 248-1890. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Gallery label | |
| Credit line | Given by Robert Taylor, Esq. in 1900 |
| Summary | Tapestry woven silk, compound twill. Possibly Egyptian or Byzantine, ca. AD500-800. Two-toned using brown and cream. The band is bordered on both sides with a band of floral/heart shaped icons in a row. The centre of the band shows a vase with flowers and below that a human head. The images are separated with two lines. Poor condition. Similar to 248- 1890. 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 | 2183-1900 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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