| Description |
“Fragment of a decorated textile. The framework of the design is a simple rinceau. In the roundels formed by the stems are a kneeling man, a basket, and a large-eyed hound wearing a broad collar. Vine and figures are purple with touches of yellow, and the basket is red, yellow, and green. The background is cream. What remains of the textile is tapestry weave, wool and linen wefts on paired linen warps, 7 x 14 [warp : weft per square cm]. The weft shots follow the curves of the design rather than crossing in straight lines. The warps are strictly divided, two by two. All yarn is S-twist. Early sixth century. Remarks: Like Number 28 [CAS 0389-2385], this fragment may have been a part of a square cushion ornament. For the symbolism of the dog wearing a collar see remarks [for CAS 0389-2433]. [Regarding textiles in this group, DL Carroll # 27-40 (CAS 0389-2378, -2380, -2385, -2386, -2388, -2400, -2404, -2412, -2429, -2430, -2433, -2451, -2452, -2539, -2584, -2585):] By the sixth century two basic types of textile ornaments were used to decorate garments. One, which was in use before the fourth century, was essentially monochrome. Designs in the monochrome class were both non-representational and figurative - the latter included a wide range of subject matter: plant, animal, human, and mythological. The second type is polychrome. Polychrome textiles had been made earlier, but not for use as garments. Extant examples are thought to have been decorative hangings, woven pictures as it were, that are commonly called tapestries. The use of what are essentially miniature tapestries for embellishing clothing is believed to have begun in the sixth century and to have lasted well into the Muslim period.†[From Looms and Textiles of the Copts by Diane Lee Carroll (San Francisco, CA: Memoirs of the California Academy of Sciences, No. 11, 1988); Catalog # 30, pp. 116, 120-121.] |
