The Coptic Tapestry Albums: And the Archaeologist of Antinoe, Albert Gayet [Paperback]

Nancy Arthur Hoskins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2004

Vibrant tapestries of be-ribboned birds, cantering centaurs and Dionysian dancers, woven in Coptic Egypt more than a thousand years ago, were artfully arranged in a pair of handsome albums in 1913. Nancy Hopkins deftly interweaves the creation of the textiles in the Greco-Roman city of Antinoe with their discovery by the charismatic French archaeologist Albert Gayet (1856-1916). Gayet staged stunning exhibitions of the pieces in Paris at the turn of the century and ultimately gave them to museums or sold them. One collector, Henry Bryon, had his 144 fabrics bound into the two albums featured here. The album pages and covers are illustrated in glowing colour, along with archival photographs from Gayet's expeditions. The style, structure and iconography of each tapestry, tabby and tablet-woven textile are discussed with the cultural construct of Late Antique and Early Christian Egypt. Detailed technical drawings illustrate the special weaving techniques of the Copts. Directions for six weaving projects inspired by the album fragments are included.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Master weaver, scholarly detective, and sensitive connoisseur, Nancy Hoskins combines all these skills to describe and identify this unusually wide range of Egyptian Coptic textile fragments. Her descriptions of weaving techniques create a fundamental glossary of technical terms, which all who study textiles should use. The detailed data on each piece are a benchmark for all who work in the field."--Jere L. Bacharach, Director, American Research Center in Egypt "a book that is a delight to handle and read. Here, at last, is a publication on Coptic textiles that is well-researched and illustrated with photographs in vibrant colour, along with detailed line drawings of weaving techniques and ancient weavers at the loom... a comprehensive study of the style, structure, and iconography of each tapestry from the Gayet collections considered in the cultural context of Late Antique and early Christian Egypt ...This beautifully bound and produced publication will delight historians, weavers, archaeologists and the lay public alike" Al Ahram Weekly

About the Author

Nancy Arthur Hoskins, a former college weaving instructor, researched Coptic collections in over fifty museums around the world. She is the author of Universal Stitches for Weaving, Embroidery, and Other Fiber Arts and Weft-Faced Pattern Weaves: Tabby to Taqueté.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Univ of Washington Pr (February 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0295983744
• ISBN-13: 978-0295983745
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,718,311 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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