With Grinling Gibbons, who died in 1721, wood carving reached its culmination for delicacy and skilful craftsmanship.
TEXTILE FABRICS. [Plate 35.]
TEXTILES.
The utility, universality, construction, texture, ornamentation and colour of textile fabrics are full of interest and suggestiveness, for in the remarkable development of textile fabrics we may trace the continuity of style and tradition, the intermingling of races and customs, and the grafting of religious ideas with the wealth and luxuriance of the past.
All fabrics wrought in the loom are called textiles. They are broadly divided into three classes: 1st, plain fabrics in which the warp and weft alternate equally; 2nd, those fabrics in which a pattern is produced by the warp and weft intermingling in different proportions or colours, figured cloths and tapestries being included in this class; 3rd, those fabrics in which the plain textile No. 1 is enriched with the needle or by printing, termed embroideries or printed fabrics.
Owing to their perishable nature few remains of ancient textile fabrics are in existence. The oldest examples are found in the tombs of Egypt, where, owing to the dryness of the climate, some fabrics of the early dynasties still remain. They are usually of fine linen and without enrichment, yet upon the same tombs are many painted patterns that undoubtedly show a woven origin. The oldest figured fabrics found in Egypt are of the 6th century A.D., and they show a remarkable similarity to the early patterns of Persia and Byzantium, for it was in India, Persia and Arabia that textiles reached their perfection of workmanship and their wealth of material. This splendid tradition was carried from Persia and India to Byzantium in the 5th century, and in the 8th century the Arabians absorbed and assimilated the arts of Persia, India, Egypt and Spain and brought the art of weaving to its culmination during the 14th and 15th centuries.
The ornamental designs of textile fabrics of different nations and periods are characterised by well-defined forms, differentiated by racial influence, climatic conditions and the myths and traditions of the people. Yet the traditional Eastern origin may be traced through many textile designs, for there is no doubt that India, Persia and Arabia influenced the designs of textile fabrics more than any other nations. This was due no doubt partly to the Eastern weavers carrying their art and traditions with them to various parts of Europe, and also to the exportation of their splendid fabrics, but principally to the beautiful and interesting designs which were perfectly adapted to the process of weaving. It is due no doubt to this frank adaptation of natural forms and their appropriateness to the technical necessities of woven fabrics, that has rendered this Eastern influence so persistent through many centuries in different parts of Europe. It is remarkable that even in Italy during the whole of the Renascence period, with the characteristic scroll forms and acanthus foliation of its architecture and decorative arts, the textiles are quite distinct in style, having the characteristics of the Sicilian, Persian and Indian ornament.
Among the earliest figured fabrics must be placed those of Assyria, of which representations may be seen in Layard’s Book on Nineveh. The patterns consisted of symmetrically placed winged figures with the Hom or Tree of Life and the rosette, which was used as a symbol by Zoraster. It is probable that many of these patterns were embroidered, as the Babylonians were reported to be skilful in the art of embroidery, but it is also certain that some of the patterns were woven. The figured fabrics found in Egypt only date from the 5th and 6th centuries A.D., and show a marked Byzantine and Persian influence (figs. 1-7, [plate 35]). Characteristic Byzantine examples have medallions and symmetrically placed figures and ornament of the “Hom.” At Alexandria and Antioch, many fine green and gold silk fabrics with ornament in brown outline were produced from the 6th to the 10th centuries.