WOVEN PATTERNED FABRICS
Byzantine art Looms were set up in the Imperial palace atByzantium, for the production of woven fabrics exclusively for theCourt. At this period the raw silk was imported from the FarEast, but during the reign of the Emperor Justinian, sericulturewas introduced into Europe for the first time.
The story of its introduction relates that two monks, returningfrom a pilgrimage to “ Serinda ” (thought to be Khotan) in A.D. 555,brought, secreted in their hollow staffs, the eggs of the silk mothand the seed of the mulberry tree.
Some interesting woven patterned fabrics have been foundamong the tapestries at Akhmim (Panopolis), which were probablyfrom Syrian or Byzantine looms. These fabrics were woven intodefinite shapes for enrichments of robes or vestments. Fig. 20 isrepresentative of the circular medallions which apparently were used
extensively for this purpose. Inthis connection, on plate 13, arealso examples of the horizontalbanding and of a vertical panel.They are splendid specimens ofthe weavers’ craft, showing ahigh degree of achievement inthe beauty and the fineness ofthe texture and the dyeing of thesilken fibres.
The old Roman dignitarieswore a round purple patch upontheir vestments. In the Court ofByzantium this was changed togold upon purple, and known as Chrysoclarus. Frequently thevestment was enriched with a golden cross, the fabric being thenknown as Stauracin. When the vestment had a number ofsuch crosses it was Polystauron ; fig. 21 is a good example ofthis Polystauron. It is from a mosaic in the Baptistry of St.Mark’s, Venice; and represents St. John Chrysostom, one of thefour Greek Fathers, wearing an ecclesiastical vestment enrichedwith the roundels and crosses which were so frequently usedduring the early period of the Church. Similar patterns arefound on the contemporary mosaics in the Cathedral at Monreale,Palermo.
An interesting example of early weaving, corresponding in typewith the Sassanian and Byzantine patterns, was found on the bodyof St. Cuthbert in the Cathedral at Durham.
St. Cuthbert died in 687, yet the body was not interred at
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Fig. 20.—Medallion of Alexandria orHither Asia.