[VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM,
LONDON
4. FIRST LEAF OF THE DIPTYCH
OF ORESTES, 530 A.D.
With the commencement of the sixth century and the diptych of Areobindus, Consul at Constantinople, 506, we change to the Eastern Empire and find the formal type already fixed ([see Fig. 4]).
The Consul is seen sitting on the sella curulis, or consular chair. This has no back, and is usually made of ivory, with elaborately carved masks and claws of lions, and sometimes has small figures of Victory on the arms. On it is a richly embroidered cushion, rather ostentatiously showing; for to sit on a cushion in the Circus was only allowed to certain privileged classes. His feet rest on the scabellum, or stool, and he is clad in his gorgeous festival robe, which is a development of the purple triumphal garb of the victorious generals in earlier days.
The component parts of this dress are still under discussion, but according to Meyer[5] they consist of four parts:
1st. The paenula. A long plain under-robe with long narrow sleeves;
2nd. The colobium. A shorter embroidered over-tunic, with half length wide sleeves;
3rd. An embroidered strip, which is laid over one shoulder and hangs down before and behind;
4th. A nameless wrap of lighter material, embroidered or woven in a pattern.
The complete dress was called the trabea or toga picta.