Textile Fragment
ca. AD900-1100 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Fragment of woven silk, compound twill (smaite). Possibly Byzantine, ca. AD900-1100. Dark blue, almost black, with a geometric pattern closely woven into the piece.
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 | Fragment of woven silk, compound twill. Possibly Byzantine, ca, AD900-1100. |
| Physical description | Fragment of woven silk, compound twill (samite). Dark blue, almost black, with a geometric pattern closely woven into the piece. |
| Dimensions |
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| Summary | Fragment of woven silk, compound twill (smaite). Possibly Byzantine, ca. AD900-1100. Dark blue, almost black, with a geometric pattern closely woven into the piece. 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 | 8554-1863 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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