textile;
belt
- Museum number
- 1990,1201.1
- Description
-
Belt in the form of a long embroidered strip, the surface almost covered in couched silver threads; cut ends; design of three repeating motifs in 18 ogival quadrilobal frames: a) a crested helm with mantling, the crest the upper half of a bear, accompanied by an inscription reading "Branko"; b) a falcon; c) a wyvern with twisted tail; between the frames, a lion's mask, and at the sides, stylised leaves; zig-zag pattern in laid ground; the five frames at the bottom of the strip rather more circular in outline; construction and material from lowest layer upwards: modern lining; support textile of plain linen; quilting threads of undyed cotton following design; base textile of twill weave crimson silk changing to salmon pink tabby weave silk in bottom section; embroidery: six types of couched metal thread: silver gilt wire; silver wire; three strands of flattened silver wire twisted together; single strands of flattened silver wire loosely twisted around a crimson, pea green or light blue silk core; silk thread for surface couching and outlining (split stitch) in navy blue, crimson, pea green, apricot or yellow, white and light blue.
- Production date
- 1350 (circa)
- Dimensions
-
Length: 1950 millimetres
-
Width: 75 millimetres
- $Inscriptions
-
- Curator's comments
- Another fragment from the same belt is in Saint Petersburg, State Hermitage Museum, inv. ω 1179.
- Location
- Not on display
- Exhibition history
-
Exhibited:
2012-2013 Nov-Mar, Bonn, Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle, Treasures of the World's Cultures
2004 15 Mar-5 Jul, USA, New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Byzantium; Faith and Power
- Acquisition date
- 1990
- Acquisition notes
- Formerly in the Ikle Collection, St Gall, Switzerland. Sold at Christie's,
South Kensington, 7th Nov. 1989, lot 171.
- Department
- Britain, Europe and Prehistory
- Registration number
- 1990,1201.1
