Ancient felt embroidery
Dianne Lewandowski
buriel remains of a long-forgotten society (Simeons? can't remember)
that lived in the Kozakstan region (Russia). These peoples lived around
300BC to ???. It's hard to pay attention - info goes by so fast.
At the end, they visited a museum which had the most beautiful felt
embroidery from this society. Quite large. Very, very old (they didn't
give a date), and in near mint condition. This society used "design" in
a much more enlightened way than most people during this "time".
Absolutely gorgeous carvings and metal work. Since they were nomads,
traveling thousands of miles throughout a lifetime, their art had
influence from as far east as the orient, south and far western Europe.
But the felt mural held my interest. Unfortunately, only a brief view.
The colors were bright - reds, blues. The embroidery looked to be
stem/outline stitch for the details. Mostly, it was applied felt. And
from what I could see, hem stitched down, rather than embroidered. Some
of the embroidery was shiny, like rayon, and I wondered if it was
metallic.
It's amazing to see the work of peoples long gone. Embroidery has been
with us for such a long, long time.
Dianne
Su/Cutworks
> Hubby and I were watching Discovery last evening. It had to do with
> buriel remains of a long-forgotten society (Simeons? can't remember)
> that lived in the Kozakstan region (Russia). These peoples lived around
> 300BC to ???. It's hard to pay attention - info goes by so fast.
Scythians, I would guess. Try this site for some more information.
http://www.magyar.org/ahfc/museum/embroidery.shtml
A nice history of embroidery, mentioning the Scythians is at this site.
http://www.foxberry.net/royalstewart/Embroidery/history/ancient/ancient.htm
The oldest known examples of embroidery are Scythian according to the
Brittanica. They were also well known as horsemen.
-Su
COLVIN
described ancient (around 3,000 BC) burials in China's western deserts that
contained mummified remains of Caucasians as well as Asians. These
discoveries came as a complete shock to archaeologists, who had no idea
there was any communication between Europeans and Asians that long ago.
One of the methods used to identify the racial origin of the mummies was an
analysis of the fabrics found with them as clothing or burial wrappings.
The fibers used to weave the textiles were identified as belonging to
animals not native to China. Also, the fibers were woven in a twill pattern
associated with Europe, not China. What was really amazing was that the
fabrics survived for so long and still retained their beautiful colors and
textures.
The second program, "Tomb of the Warrior Prince," described the excavation
of a Scythian kurghan (burial mound) in the Altai region of Khurgistan
(sp?). Since the Scythians were nomads and had no writing and no permanent
towns, very little has come down to us except their beautiful metal work and
some fabrics used to wrap human remains in the burials. The Scythians in
the region were dated (I think) at about 800BC. They were known to the
ancient Greeks and Eurasian peoples, who feared them.
Their lives were very hard, yet they took the time to produce very beautiful
and complicated weavings and needlework. Such is the case with almost
every ancient culture........somehow they found the time to make designs
beyond the purely utilitarian. Perhaps every artist since the beginning of
time just has to make that personal statement in his/her work. Such a
legacy for us!
kc
Dianne Lewandowski <dia...@heritageshoppe.com> wrote in message
news:3A11552A...@heritageshoppe.com...
> Hubby and I were watching Discovery last evening. It had to do with
> buriel remains of a long-forgotten society (Simeons? can't remember)
> that lived in the Kozakstan region (Russia). These peoples lived around
> 300BC to ???. It's hard to pay attention - info goes by so fast.
>
Lirio
>animals not native to China. Also, the fibers were woven in a twill pattern
>associated with Europe,
Elizabeth Barber has written a book about the textiles found with the mummies,
called the Mummmies of Urumchi. Very, very interesting.
Dianne Lewandowski
corrections. I wish the museum(s) that have these embroideries would
put them up for all to see. I had no idea that what I was seeing was
the oldest known embroideries.
Dianne
Su/Cutworks wrote:
>
> Dianne Lewandowski wrote:
>
> > Hubby and I were watching Discovery last evening. It had to do with
> > buriel remains of a long-forgotten society (Simeons? can't remember)
> > that lived in the Kozakstan region (Russia). These peoples lived around
> > 300BC to ???. It's hard to pay attention - info goes by so fast.
>
Su/Cutworks
> What great links. Read briefly, bookmarked.
That was just the first ones from a search on 'scythians' at google.com.
It's amazing how much stuff showed up.
> I wish the museum(s) that have these embroideries would
> put them up for all to see. I had no idea that what I was seeing was
> the oldest known embroideries.
They have one that is a moustachioed guy, that I've seen in, of all things,
a book on the history of horses. The Scythians were big on having good
horses.
There are so many kinds of embroidery and so much that is just historic that
it's hard to keep up with it all. Glad I could offer a pointer or two.
-Su
Monique Reed
good article on them earlier this year. One of the summer or early
fall issues, I think. Has some great Scythian goldwork on the front
cover.
Monique
Dianne Lewandowski
pictures, though. I may do some more hunting.
I'm miffed. I have done so darn much reading about embroidery (I get
the gist of things, often not remembering "details"), and I NEVER heard
of these guys (Scythians) nor heard of their embroideries. Everytime
mention is made of "old" works, the Bayeau Tapestry is mentioned. I
knew that embroideries were found from ancient Egyptian tombs - though
I've never seen a picture of them. Just read about them. Until Sue
sent me to two sights (and taught me how to spell Scythian), I was
totally unaware that this civilization existed in the scheme of
embroidery.
They're known mostly for their carvings - metal and wood. And for their
beautiful work on bridles, etc., for horses. I understand from last
night's documentary that they invented the saddle. They were a
murdurous lot, plundering and pilling on their nomadic adventures. The
show rather skimmed over the embroidery part, but I got enough of a view
(thanks to the camerman as the conversation was going on) to know that
the work was beautifully done and quite large. Okay. Not as big as the
Bayeau, but certainly more than average.
Makes me wonder how one piece of embroidery gets more press than another
- especially considering the age of this piece that I saw (and
understand that others exist).
Dianne
Kim Brown wrote:
>
> Monique Reed wrote:
> >
> > If y'all are interested in the Scythians, Smithsonian magazine had a
> > good article on them earlier this year. One of the summer or early
> > fall issues, I think. Has some great Scythian goldwork on the front
> > cover.
> >
> > Monique
>
> Ack! What have I missed? What about the Scythians? Did they do
> embroidery as well as inventing The Stirrup? Has someone published an
> URL I should be looking at?
>
> Hmmm... ancient Scythian embroidered stirrups... what a novel idea!
>
> --
> Trish {|:OI}
> Newcastle, NSW, Australia
Kim Brown
Kim Brown
(?) burial was unearthed and the occupant was found to have fibres and
largish snippets of fabric still attached to her body. She was
remarkably intact and there was distinct evidence that some form of
embroidery had been used to embellish the linen underblouse worn by the
woman. The skin of her face bore the clear marks of bluish tattoos and
her hip structure showed that her joints were loose and probably prone
to displasia (dislocation). The woman was buried during the Iron Age
(about 1000BC, from memory) and her grave goods were a treasure trove of
gold and copper and imported precious substances, like amber beads. I
couldn't help wondering what might have been used for a needle to
embellish the clothing! Since iron had only recently been discovered, I
imagine its use as a needle might not have occurred to anyone yet. I
guess bone would be the obvious choice.
I *wish* I had the time, leisure and resources to research the
embroideries of central Europe!
Mirjam Bruck-Cohen
The Mumies of Urumchi , by Elizabeth Wayland Braber , MacMillan, 1999.
The same author of Women`s work , the first 20000 years.
>, the fibers were woven in a twill pattern
>associated with Europe,
this is a very interesting statement since with the Torino Shroud, the
Scientific group that was once allowed to check it , Said It`s
identification as a Middle Eastern Cloth [ i.e. not made in Europe ]
was due to it`s being Woven in Twill Typical of Middle WEast in those
times,
Also in the book Elizabeth Wayland Barber , Who is A weaver as well as
a trained archeologist , tells that the cloth has been woven in a way
that lloked like twill , but actually was a kind of HOP Twill [ see
book page 42 diagram 2.13].
Lirio
If you're REALLY into this stuff, she also wrote a book called __Prehistoric
Textiles__, about 2 inches thick and rather overwhelming! <G>
Romilly
digs have turned up bronze needles.) I've heard of the needles from pine
trees being used as sewing needles as well in the Pacific Northwest of North
America, but that's 3rd hand knowledge...
I'm now wishing I had the time, and resources to research the central europe
embroideries, too! Thanks to whoever brought the subject up.
--
~G. Romilly Goodfellow
Cat hair? What cat hair? That's creative use of specialty fibers...
"Kim Brown" <kim....@studentmail.newcastle.edu.au> wrote in message
news:3A121832...@studentmail.newcastle.edu.au...
<snip>
emerald
Kim Brown <kim....@studentmail.newcastle.edu.au> wrote in message
news:3A121832...@studentmail.newcastle.edu.au...
> (?) burial was unearthed and the occupant was found to have fibres and
Trish, is that the lady that they thought must be *very*
powerful....priestess or perhaps even chieftain...on account of the beauty
of the grave goods and the fine-ness of the fabric?
Wasn't she found on the Steppes somewhere?
Where are those old National Geographics when I need them?? <g>
emerald
Mirjam Bruck-Cohen
Which publisher ? mirjam
Kim Brown
>
> Kim Brown <kim....@studentmail.newcastle.edu.au> wrote in message
> news:3A121832...@studentmail.newcastle.edu.au...
> > (?) burial was unearthed and the occupant was found to have fibres and
>
> Trish, is that the lady that they thought must be *very*
> powerful....priestess or perhaps even chieftain...on account of the beauty
> of the grave goods and the fine-ness of the fabric?
> Wasn't she found on the Steppes somewhere?
>
> Where are those old National Geographics when I need them?? <g>
>
> emerald
Spot on, emerald!
DS was telling me all about her (he's been a lifelong student of all
things Celtic and sucks up details like a vacuum! Did I tell you he's
teaching himself Gaeilge out of a book!)
Yes, and her bone structure was entirely weird: she had a wry neck and
they figured she probably walked crookedly and was unable to look
straight ahead because of it. They imagined she must have been a shaman
or someone very important. Firstly because of the value of her grave
goods, secondly because of the 'amulet bag' and semi-precious stones in
her pouch, thirdly because she had never been pregnant and fourthly
because it was believed 'deformed' children, such as she would have
been, were generally deserted and left to die at that time. Something
(perhaps her lineage, perhaps some mystic quality about her person) set
her apart in some special way. It would make a great story, wouldn't it?
I must get DS onto that!
Do you ever pause and wonder about the life, loves and trials of these
people, unearthed after millenia in the ground? I wonder what kind of
woman this lady was: whether she led a happy life and whether she was
beset by pain or other trouble...?
JDTHMLLR
Metropolitan Museum (metmuseum.org) and Brooklyn Museums (brooklynart.org) of
art currently have big Scythian art and goldwork shows on. With beautiful
looking catalogs available.
Judith
Madison, WI