La matérialité des collections byzantines. Le cas des textiles
abstract
Taking up the main arguments of John Beckwith’s presentation, “Byzantine tissues”, delivered at the XIV International Congress of Byzantine Studies, we propose a state of the question of the study of Byzantine textiles. Some of the problems cited in his article remain recurrent, but refined technical analyses, as well as examinations of iconography and style, have advanced the possibilities of dating the silks that have come down to us and of locating their origin. This evolution is important since most Byzantine fabrics were discovered in Western reliquaries where they served as relic envelopes, and are devoid of any historical information.
Keywords: Embroidery • Progress • Textiles • Analysis • Studies • Silks