by Anna Muthesius, PhD., F.S.A.
Surrey Institute of Art and Design and
Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge University
Key silks that are currently inaccessible are illustrated and discussed in full in this
publication. The book includes the latest information available on such aspects as production of the raw
material, dyes and looms.
The book concentrates on technical and iconographical aspects of the surviving material and provides a broad chronology of the different types of silk.
It discusses Provincial as well as Metropolitan Byzantinesilk production.
Special emphasis is placed on the widespread export and use of Byzantine silks in the Latin West before AD 1200.
The book also illustratesthe impact of Byzantine silks on the Near East.
The Appendices list over 1300 Byzantine and related Islamic sikls, giving full details of 120.
Besides beeing a reference work for Byzantinists the book constitutes a cross-disciplinary of the
subjects, involving the disciplines of:
Art
Art History
Archaeology
Design
Technology
Social History
Ecclesiastical History
weaving
It will therefore be valuable to students of all these subjects.
Contents:
Bibliography
Production of the raw material
Introduction to Hand draw-looms
Introduction to byzantine dyes
The datable Byzantine Lion and Elephant silks
Paired main warp twills with lion, eagle and griffin
The London Charioteer silk (Victoria and Albert Museum)
Falkes so-called Alexandrian group of silks
3 more groups of single main warp twills
monchrome patterned silks of the 10-12th centuries
Byzantine influence on Central Asian silk weaving
(The Ram silk at Huy and related silks of the 7th -10th centuries)
An Imperial Byzantine tapestry weave silk
and the Bullock silk of St. Servatius, Maastricht
Byzantine and other Eastern Mediterranean tabby weave
Silk production in Southern Italy and in Sicily
The use of silks in the West
western Silk Patrons
Summary of conclusions
Appendices: Weaving types, List by Locations
main catalogue: silk numbers M1 to M120
Handlist -silks numbers M120a- M1391
many Plates: 72 pages in colour, 56 pages b/w Author: Anna Muthesius
Hardcover 4, 288pp, plates: 72 colour, 56 b/w
Deutsch
English
