Band with Dancers and Plant Motifs
7th-8th century
Description
A red tapestry band features dancers and plant motifs. The red squares outlined in white contain four multicolored dancers with raised arms woven in yellow, pink, and blue wefts. Each dancer has three legs—perhaps they are centaurs. Between each pair of dancers is a small white plant. Teal rectangular fields contain red medallions with a single human dancer. Outside the medallion are plant motifs formed out of simple lines, dots, and heart-shaped leaves. A dark blue wave scroll border outlined in white runs down both sides of the band. Undyed fabric survives on both sides of the band and probably made up the ground of this textile.
Dimensions
19.1 x 66 cm (7 1/2 x 26 in.)
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View MoreWarps: 3 Z spun S plied undyed white wool, some slightly darker; alternate warps slightly depressed. Weft: 1 ply Z spun undyed buff, or dyed red (Qashqai); 2 or 3 yarns per shoot. Pile: 2 S plied Z spun wool. Pile colors: dark indigo blue, blue green, medium blue, yellow, yellow green, white, dark brown/black. Knots: asymmetrical, open to the left. Knots per vertical decimeter: 49. Knots per horizontal decimeter: 48. Both selvedges: rewrapped. Top end: approz 1 cm. blue and white double cloth float weaved followed by double line countered soumak in red and white. Bottom end: stripped.
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