weavershand

Ecclesiastical Pomp and Aristocratic Circumstance: A Thousand Years of Brocaded Tabletwoven Bands

from Nancy Spies' book on Medieval brocaded tabletwoven bands. "Stella Maris" from the Border of a Mitre Band, 12th/13th century, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, (MMA 53.19.1).

This mitre has traditionally been attributed to St. Rupert (d. 718) who was the founder and first abbot bishop of Salzburg. Although this mitre was worn later than 1231, it is made of twelfth-century materials. The tabletwoven bands form the circulus (around the head) and tituli (up the horns) bands as well as the bands at the ends of the infulae.

Length: ca. 21.0 cm (each titulus band); ca. 52.5 cm (circulus band)
Warp: black silk
Brocade weft: "spun-gilt silver," S-spun around core; used single
Number of tablets: 147 (93 in center pattern area + 27 in each border)
Tablets threaded in all four holes = 588 warp ends
Tablets threaded alternating S-and-Z in borders (?and in center area)
Center pattern: 2 x 2 latticework, patterned diagonals, and other geometric and knotwork motifs; tie-downs under one thread
Border patterns: small dragons with curling tails (one side of band); inscriptions in small Roman capital lettering (other side of band); both border patterns edged with a brick-effect straight line ("stave"); tie-downs under ?two threads

Key: one square=one cord (one tablet)

circle = "spun-gilt silver" brocade weft

blank square = ground weave and tie-downs

The pattern continues from th etop of the left graph to the bottom of the right graph.
Warp runs vertically and weft runs horizontally.

PREVIA STELLA MARIS LAPSIS VIA IURE VOCARIS.

(upper edge of circulus band)
DA CORDI LUMEN VERUM COGNOSCERE NUMEN.

INFER ET ARDOREM
SUPERUM QUI NUTRIT AMOREM.

(lower edge of circulus band)
AVE TUUM NOMEN MIHI DA SOLAMEN / et omen.

(on front titulus band)
A ME VIRGO PIA TRIPLICES EXPELLE / Maria.

(on back titulus band)
VENI ET ME SACRO FLAMINE LEN / i div / INAS LAUDES SUPERANS SUPER ET / hera plaudi.

(on bands at ends of infulae)

(inscriptions given by Dr. Tietze)

Braun, Joseph. Die Liturgisches Gewandung

im Occident und Orient. Frieburg: Herdersche Verlagshandlung, 1907, p. 468.
Mayer-Thurman, Christa. Raiment for the

Lord's Service: A Thousand Years of

Western Vestments. Chicago: The Art

Institute of Chicago, 1975, pp. 60-62.
Metropolitan Museum of Art catalogue entries.

Photocopy.
Schuette, Marie. "Tablet Weaving."

CIBA Review 117 (Nov., 1956), p. 26.
von Wilckens, Leonie. Die textilen Künste von

der Spätantike bis um 1500. Munich: Verlag C.H. Beck, 1991, pp. 100-101 and Abb.

105.

Next pattern.

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