Others Methods for Textile Production
While I am finishing this part, Woven, tapestry and embroidery textiles are example of different type of techniques which were used in Byzantium for manufacturing textile products. For the woven textile, we see five basic weaves tabby, twill, damask, lampas and tapestry – the most important product was the weft-faced compound twill called samite which was deriving from the Byzantine Greek ἑξάμιτον hexamiton (six threads), usually interpreted as indicating the use of six yarns in the warp.[29] In addition to woven dress and furnishing fabrics, Byzantine workshops were also known for woven tapestries which are found mostly under the hot sand of Egyptian dessert and richly embroidered textiles which are tremendous art works produced by women of Byzantium with decoration that often included figurative scenes. If you look carefully on Empress Theodora's mantle in the famous Ravenna mosaic, you can see embroideries are shining like a sun.
Motifs, Colours and Its Implication
In my opinion, it is not only the variety of production methods, materials and consumers made Byzantine textile so glamorous, I can say what was woven over the fabrics; the Byzantine motifs, ornaments or colours were also stupendously rich. Let’s start with the motifs; when I looked at textile products, I can observe that very large scale of motifs, which did not existed elsewhere; real animals - including lions, elephants, eagles, bowls or peacocks- imaginary animals (griffins, unicorns, phoenix or Pegasus), plants (pelmets, tree of life and cross-shaped flowers)[30], human figures (Emperors, Saints, common women or workers) and geometrical shapes (crosses, heart- and spade-shapes). In addition to this, these shapes were dyed with a variety of colours, which was a visual festival; violet for Emperors, blue and white garments or red and green garments for officials, golden for nobility, white and brown for monks and various bright colours for lower-classes.
I will claim that these shapes, ornaments and colours were not resulted from capricious and unpredictable of personal preferences. I will profit Pierre Bourdieu’s hypothesis on taste, habitus and distinction. I will try to demonstrate that the type of fabrics, motifs and colours reflects a combination of economic, symbolic and cultural capital of the person who wore it. In other words, I want to demonstrate that while Metochites’ hat or Constantine XI’ were not based on simple chooses but political tendencies, the motives and colours on Imperial court reflected symbolic power. To demonstrate the relation between economic, symbolic and cultural capitals and taste on textiles, in this subchapter, I want to present first the motives, colours had been used in the Empire, and then in the third subchapter, I will make the connections.
Animal Figures
Animals, both real and fantastic, occupied an important place in Byzantine textile, especially animal motifs symbolizing Jesus Christ and saints. The images of lion, cheetahs and birds of prey came to operate in a talismanic way. The other creatures like griffins are shown in combat or in hunting scenes which was associated as in earlier art with power and protection against evil.[31] We also have the chance to see these animals and bird motifs were not in active form but also in stable form which placed into medallion settings with roundels at intersections.[32] Performance of animals are also depicted in Quadriga design fabric which gives reference to a very famous entertainment form –chariot races in Byzantine Empire. Maguire proposes that the perform active role of animal combat in Byzantine unique at least in Christian art, because they do not simply represent the animal, nor employ it metaphorically but actually make its power present.[33] Animal combats occur far and wide, appearing in Mesopotamian artefacts in later Iranian, Coptic, Greek and Roman art.
Human Figures
In addition to non figurative decoration of Byzantine textile, different human figures are also depicted over textile products. The most common figurine was the busts of unidentified women on Byzantine Egyptian textiles. In these busts, these women were often richly dressed and nimbed and represent good fortune.[34] Moreover, Egyptian tapestry, made from wool and linen, were decorated by well-dressed women, most probably intended to evoke ideas of privilege and prosperity. Such females figures are frequently found on textiles used to clothe the body and decorate the home; but this time, these ones not only embodied good fortune but also were supposed an object of attraction.[35]
Religious Figures
The religion has important role to change figural and non-figural motifs in Byzantine textile. Religious descriptions, stories, especially nativity, and personages, like Samson and David from old and New Testament are among the favourite subjects of decoration. In Byzantium, some textile products also have religious meaning because of its meaning such as mandylion. Mandylion is an example of relic textile which absorbed the image of Christ and supposedly cured Abgar.[36]Because its power to heal and protect the Mandylion was often depicted above doorways and windows in churches as image in the amulets.
The religious metaphors on textiles had the function to defect evil and to bring good luck to owner of textile products.[37] According to Henry Maguire the designs appearing on the household textiles of the Byzantine period, from the fourth to the seventh century, can be divided into two classes, those that were of a non-Christian character which were more numerous and those that were overtly Christian in nature. The non-Christian designs such as apostrophic figures can be subdivided into two further groups according to their function, for some were intended to protect user of the textile from harm, while others were intended to attract good fortune and prosperity[38]For example knots and interlaces were used for apostrophic purposes especially when they were used with inscription:” God with us”.[39] For non-Christians, these designs were made up motifs which invoked prosperity.
In the Early Byzantine household textiles there is an abundance of images illustrating the fruitfulness of nature, in the form of plants and creatures of all kinds. Occasionally the visual message of these designs is reinforced by an inscription as in the case of the wool and linen curtain which displays a laden tree with the invocation flourish written upon its trunk.[40] During the periods of Iconoclasm (726-787, 814-843) when no figurative depictions of Christian divinities and persons were allowed, Constantinopolitan workshops favoured motifs that evoked the heritage of the late antique, depicting charioteers and hunt scenes.
Colours
Brilliant colours of Byzantium textile also was charmed me, while I was looking at pieces of textile in my workshop. By using all colours, they preferred combination for the Imperial court was that also used by the Roman emperors-purple with gold embroidery. Colours used included green, blue, plum, violet, brown, black and grey and white.[41]Especially when I looked at textile production were manufactured from ninth century to thirteenth century, imperial workshops which worked for the exclusive use of the court. These textiles were dyed with dark red and violet purple, mixed with dark violet and yellow.[42]I also observe that they did not have strict rules for colours which were used in same type of textile products. For example women’s headscarves (veleria) : silk ones were all blue, cotton headscarves were generally in green, followed by white, blue and rich purple. [43]