Square with Holy Warriors Spearing Serpents in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, January 2011

Fragment

Object Name: Fragment

Date: 7th–8th century

Geography: probably Egypt or Syria

Medium: Silk

Dimensions: 5 in. high 5.12 in. wide (12.5 cm high 13 cm wide)

Classification: Textiles-Woven

Credit Line: Fletcher Fund, 1946

Accession Number: 46.156.18a

Text from: www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/1400...

Silk, one of the most luxurious fibers used to create textiles, is made from the cocoon filaments produced by several species of moth. Originating from China, Central Asia, and India, silk first reached the Mediterranean during the Roman period via a network of land and sea trade routes. Byzantine domestic silk production began in AD 553-54, under Justinian I, when silk-moth eggs were introduced to the region; the silk industry eventually became a major element of the Byzantine economy.

This fragment depicts a male figure dressed in a tunic and with a pallium draped over his shoulders. He holds a cross in one hand and a pike in the other, which he uses to keep a serpent at bay. A border of leaves and flowers frames the images. An identical, though complete, example is housed in the Musee des Tissus et des Arts decoratifs, Lyon. Bands such as these were woven separately as decorative elements and were applied to garments.

Text from the Metropolitan Museum of Art label.