2004
Shuttle, Brush and Ball of Thread
Late Antique Textiles from Egypt and their Production

25th April – 14th November 2004
daily 2 p.m. – 5.30 p.m.



Many textiles were not fully patterned but had defined pattern areas. The threads that formed the pattern were mainly applied here by hand using a ball of thread, in other words they were woven in the tapestry technique. Thread was made of wool, linen and silk and was sometimes even wrapped in very thin gold foil.


The tunic, the most common garment of the time, was largely unpatterned but had a strict system of decorations, which were usually woven together with the rest of the fabric.


Silk garments and textiles were mostly produced using a very complex weaving technique. The loom was set up to weave the particular pattern, and the weft threads were shot with the shuttle across the full width of the loom. Overall patterned designs with repeats are typical of textiles of this kind.



Strong, supple woollen textiles for tunics and furnishing, for example, were also made using complex weaving techniques (weft-faced compound twill or tabby). These decorations often feature friezes with animals and hunting scenes, as do many other works of this period.


Decorations painted on with a brush have, to date, been found mostly on hangings. The desired colour effect could be imparted to the linen using a brush, as in painting. Another technique was to apply a special paste that repelled the dye in the subsequent dye bath. After dyeing the paste was washed out, leaving the depictions on a coloured background.


Most of the large wall hangings were tapestry weavings. They reveal the luxurious décor of rich town houses and rural villas. The mythological figures and personifications of classicism were still popular depictions in late antiquity.