Late Antique Textiles from the Papyrus Collection of the Austrian National Library

Scientific investigation of fibres, dyes and dyeing techniques

Regina Hofmann-de Keijzer, Maarten R. Bommel, Ineke Joosten, Ines Bogensperger

• Publisher: De Gruyter
• Year: 2024
• Print ISBN: 9783110776379
• eBook ISBN: 9783111388670
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Art
• Subtopic: Ancient History

MPER XXXIV, 2 presents knowledge of textile dyeing in Late Antique Egypt (ca. 300–800 CE) based on interdisciplinary research on 30 Late Antique textiles from the Papyrus Collection of the Austrian National Library, combining scientific analyses with the study of ancient and scholarly literature.

The general part deals with the dyeing materials and techniques that were available in Late Antique Egypt to create a wide variety of colours. The catalogue part contains the scientific analyses of 85 samples of 30 Late Antique textiles from this collection. The results of dye, fibre and mordant analyses are documented with UHPLC chromatograms, UV/VIS absorption spectra, SEM-EDX spectra, microscopic images and tables. Textiles in which specific dyeing materials have been identified are listed in the appendices including textiles from the Papyrus Collection of the Austrian National Library as well as archaeological textiles from numerous international projects. A detailed bibliography completes this volume.

MPER XXXIV, 1 – the first comprehensive compilation of Late Antique textiles from the Papyrus collection of the Austrian Library – provides an overall study of these 30 textiles and 208 more including iconography and the analyses of the weaving techniques.

MPER XXXIV, 1 and 2 can also be purchased as a set.

Table of contents

• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• Contents
• General Part
• 1 Analytical methods
• 2 Fibres
• 3 Dyeing techniques
• 4 Literature on dyes and dyeing
• 5 Dyeing materials in archaeological textiles from Egypt and the Mediterranean region
• 6 Identification of dyes and dyeing materials by UHPLC-PDA
• 7 Dating
• 8 Tannins and direct dyes
• 9 Vat dyes
• 10 Red mordant dyes
• 11 Yellow mordant dyes
• 12 Dyeing experiments with a papyrus plant
• Catalogue
• Cat.-no. 3: Green woollen fabric with purple ornaments – a reused tunic
• Cat.-no. 11: Eight decorative fragments of a tunic with mythological scenes
• Cat.-no. 12: Three fragments of a sleeve-tunic/sleeve decoration with clavi
• Cat.-no. 17: Six fragments with ornaments of a yellow woollen tunic
• Cat.-no. 19: Three fragments of a tunic – neck decoration with figures dancing under arches
• Cat.-no. 34: Fragment of a sleeve with a double border with geometric motifs
• Cat.-no. 51: Fragment of a loop pile fabric – vine leaves, grapes and animals in medallions
• Cat.-no. 52: Loop pile fabric – medallions with animals and vegetable motifs
• Cat.-no. 62: Fragment of the edge of a châle-fabric with an oval-shaped ornament
• Cat.-no. 70: Silk fragment with dancing figures
• Cat.-no. 71: Fragment of a clavus with a leaf-shaped sigillum
• Cat.-no. 94: Lower part of a clavus with dancing figures and fringes
• Cat.-no. 101: Fragment of a clavus in a dark brown woollen fabric
• Cat.-no. 102: Fragment of a clavus with running animals
• Cat.-no. 110: Fragment of a tunic’s clavus
• Cat.-no. 111: Two fragments of a clavus of a linen tunic: fragment 1 from the stripe and the ground fabric with a flatlock seam
• Cat.-no. 113: Fragment of a clavus of a woollen tunic with stripes
• Cat.-no. 122: Fragment of a clavus with a wavy line pattern
• Cat.-no. 130: Fragment of a clavus with a paragauda
• Cat.-no. 133: Orbiculus with a wine harvest scene
• Cat.-no. 166: Fragment of a tabula
• Cat.-no. 167: Purple tabula
• Cat.-no. 191: Fragment of a tabula
• Cat.-no. 191: Fragment of a tabula
• Cat.-no. 203: Tapestry with a Venatio-scene
• Cat.-no. 208: Fragment of a tapestry – neck decoration with clavus
• Cat.-no. 208: Fragment of a tapestry – neck decoration with clavus
• Cat.-no. 218: Fragment of an ornament
• Cat.-no. 231: Textile fragment with Coptic text
• Cat.-no. 232: Sampler
• Appendices
• Appendix A: Analytical methods applied to the textiles of the Papyrus Collection
• Appendix B: Results of the analysed textiles from the Papyrus Collection
• Appendix C: Mordants
• Appendix D: Blue
• Appendix E: Red
• Appendix F: Yellow
• Appendix G: Blue, black, red and yellow with one dyeing material
• Appendix H: Red, pink, orange and yellow with mordant dyes
• Appendix I: Green by double dyeing and blending of fibres
• Appendix J: Red, purple, brown and black by double dyeing
• Appendix K: Red, purple, brown and black by blending of fibres
• Appendix L: Tannins and direct dyes
• Appendix M: Woad and indigo
• Appendix N: Molluscan purple
• Appendix O: Kermes
• Appendix P: Armenian cochineal
• Appendix Q: Polish cochineal
• Appendix R: Root cochineal
• Appendix S: Lac dye
• Appendix T: Dyer’s madder and other Rubiaceae species
• Appendix U: Dyer’s alkanet
• Appendix V: Sappanwood
• Appendix W: Weld and weld types
• Appendix X: Young fustic
• Abbreviations
• Glossary
• Copyrights of figures and tables
• Literature
• Curricula vitae of the authors
• Index