Textile Fragment
7th Century - 9th Century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
A fragment of damask in bold purple and black. Possibly Syrian or Byzantine, ca. AD700-1000. Z-spun with brown warps. The design includes floral and geometric forms. The remaining form is like a large pinecone or flower bud hanging down. The fabric is badly damaged and the rest of the design is not obvious although there are some geometric lines around the bud that contain fleur-de-lis. The piece may have been hemmed around the edges or has been sewn to something else in the past.
A damask is a reversible fabric of silk (also wool, linen or cotton) with a pattern formed from one warp and one weft. The pattern is in a warp-faced, satin weave with the background in weft-faced, sateen weave. Often with large floral designs. Damask was produced in ancient China but took its name from Damascus, Syria, where it was produced for European export in the 12th century.
A damask is a reversible fabric of silk (also wool, linen or cotton) with a pattern formed from one warp and one weft. The pattern is in a warp-faced, satin weave with the background in weft-faced, sateen weave. Often with large floral designs. Damask was produced in ancient China but took its name from Damascus, Syria, where it was produced for European export in the 12th century.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Silk samite |
| Brief description | Fragment of silk samite, Byzantine, 7th-9th Century |
| Physical description | A fragment from a textile in silk samite (weft-faced compound twill), in bold purple and black. The thread is Z-spun with brown warps. The fabric is badly damaged. The remaining design, of black on a purple ground, consists of a lattice or diaper grid pattern, with each intersection filled with a four-petalled rosette in a circular frame. The spaces between the grid are filled with large pinecone or artichoke motifs. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label | |
| Credit line | Given by Robert Taylor, Esq. |
| Object history | |
| Summary | A fragment of damask in bold purple and black. Possibly Syrian or Byzantine, ca. AD700-1000. Z-spun with brown warps. The design includes floral and geometric forms. The remaining form is like a large pinecone or flower bud hanging down. The fabric is badly damaged and the rest of the design is not obvious although there are some geometric lines around the bud that contain fleur-de-lis. The piece may have been hemmed around the edges or has been sewn to something else in the past. A damask is a reversible fabric of silk (also wool, linen or cotton) with a pattern formed from one warp and one weft. The pattern is in a warp-faced, satin weave with the background in weft-faced, sateen weave. Often with large floral designs. Damask was produced in ancient China but took its name from Damascus, Syria, where it was produced for European export in the 12th century. |
| Bibliographic reference | A.F. Kendrick, Catalogue of textiles from burying-grounds in Egypt. Vol. III: The Coptic Period (London, 1922): No. 856. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 2128-1900 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
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