John Noble Wilford Reviews "Designing Identity" in the New York Times

By mp4071@nyu.edu
03/15/2016

In John Noble Wilford's article in today's New York Times, he unpacks the historical context of many of the artifacts seen in ISAW's Spring Exhibition Designing Identity: The Power of Textiles in Late Antiquity.

Wilford first describes the era of transition during in Late Antiquity:

"Rare samplings of the motifs and materials of textiles in the Mediterranean world from the third through the seventh century A.D. reflect the wealth and social standing of the elite at the time of the Roman Empire’s greatest reach, and then its decline — a period known as Late AntiquityChristianity was spreading through the region. “Barbarians” from the north menaced outer borders and Rome itself. In time, an expanding Arab culture introduced Islam across the Middle East."

However, despite the growing influence of Christianity, the imagery was often rooted in mythological stories, with many exhibited tapestries depicting the god Dionysus of wine and the good life. A greater theme of the exhibition is the idea of identity, how the images on clothing and tapestries “put hopes and desires on display in their motifs, designs and materials, rendering visible both social identity and the inner imagined self," according to Thelma K. Thomas, the show’s curator. Wilford quotes Jennifer Y. Chi, ISAW Exhibitions Director and Chief Curator: "The exhibit, Dr. Chi said, shows 'how textiles were carefully created to convey specific images of self, society and culture, and offer glimpses of both the activities of daily life and the practice of religious rituals.'"

Visitors examining Tunic with Dionysian MotifsTapestry weave of dyed wool, undyed linen, plain (tabby) ground weave of undyed linen, L. 269.5 cm; W. 181.5 cm. Panopolis (Akhmim), Egypt, ca. Early 6th century CE. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Edward S. Harkness, 1926 (26.9.8).

Wilford also discusses the context in which these articles were found and how they have been able to be so well-preserved: 

"Beginning in the late 19th century, a bounty of textile artifacts came to light in archaeological excavations far from Rome, often in Egyptian cemeteries from Roman times. Many people recycled their best tunics, ones with patterns like bird-and-vine lattice motifs or more artistic embellishments, as their burial shrouds. The arid desert climate was kind to the textiles through the centuries." 

 

Shroud of a Woman Wearing a Fringed TunicPaint (probably tempera), plain (tabby) ground weave of undyed linen, L. 230.5 cm; W. 111 cm. Antinoopolis (El- Sheikh Abada), Egypt, ca. 2nd–3rd century CE. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rogers Fund, 1909 (09.181.8).

Read Wilford's full article on the New York Times website here.

Designing Identity is open Wednesdays - Sundays 11am-6pm with free guided tours on Fridays at 6pm. Open through May 22, 2016.