8250.
Piece of Broad Border of Gold Tissue, portion of a vestment. Sicilian, 13th century. 6 inches by 5 inches.
This was once part of the orphrey of some liturgical garment, and
is figured with lions rampant combatant, and foliage in which a cross
flory may be discovered.
8250A.
Piece of Silk; green ground, with a stripe diapered in silver. Byzantine, end of 12th century. 4-3/4 inches by 2 inches.
The design of the stripe not only shows the St. Andrew's cross, or
saltire, but, in its variety of combination, displays other forms of the
cross, that make this stuff one of the kind known among Greek
writers as "stauracinus" and "polystauria," and spoken of as such by
Anastasius Bibliothecarius in very many parts of his valuable work.
8251.
Portion of a Maniple, linen web with an interlaced diamond-shaped diapering, in silk. 12th century. Byzantine. 1 foot 9 inches by 2-3/4 inches.
This curious remnant of textiles, wrought on purpose for liturgical
use, shows in places another combination of lines, or rather of a digamma,
so as to form a sort of cross: and stuffs so diapered were called by Greek,
and after them by Latin, Christian writers, "gammadia." It was a
pattern taken up by the Sicilian and South Italian looms, whence it spread
so far north as England, where it may be found marked amid the ornaments
designed upon church vestments figured in many graven brasses.
From us it got the new name of "filfod" through the idea of "full foot,"
which by some English mediæval writers was looked upon as an heraldic
charge, and is now called "cramponnée." During the 13th century,
in this country, ribbon-like textiles, for the express purpose of making
stoles and maniples to be worn at the altar, were extensively wrought,
and constituted one of the articles of trade in London, for a distinguished
