Designing identity : the power of textiles in late antiquity / edited by Thelma K. Thomas ; including contributions by Jennifer L. Ball, Edward Bleiberg, Kathrin Colburn, Helen C. Evans, Christine Kondoleon, Brandie Ratcliff, Thelma K. Thomas, and Elizabeth Dospel Williams.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ball, Jennifer (Jennifer L.), author.

Bleiberg, Edward, 1951- author.

Colburn, Kathrin, author.

Evans, Helen C., author.

Kondoleon, Christine, author.

Ratliff, Brandie, author.

Williams, Elizabeth Dospěl, author.

Contributor:

Thomas, Thelma K., editor.

New York University. Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, host institution.

Alec Harris & Carollina Song Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Clothing and dress.

Textile industry.

History.

Textile fabrics, Ancient.

Mediterranean Region.

Middle East.

Rome (Empire).

Textile fabrics, Ancient--Exhibitions.

Textile industry--Mediterranean Region--History.

Clothing and dress--Middle East.

Clothing and dress--Rome.

Genre:

Exhibition catalogs.

History.

Physical Description:

159 pages : illustrations (chiefly color), color map ; 30 cm

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Institute for the Study of the Ancient World ; Princeton, NJ : Princeton University Press, [2016]

Summary:

"Ideals of character and beauty, and conceptions of self and society, were in flux during Late Antiquity, a period of extensive dramatic cultural upheaval for the Roman world, as the extraordinary growth of Christianity eclipsed paganism. Textiles from Late Antiquity document transformations of cultural traditions and societal values at the most intimate level of the individual body and the home. These textile artifacts are fragile, preserved only in arid conditions, often in fragments, and only rarely intact. The textiles selected for the exhibition Designing Identity at New York University's Institute for the Study of the Ancient World present an aesthetic of vibrant colors, fine materials, technical virtuosity of professional production, and variations on designs that display personal identity in the clothing of men, women, and children, as well as hopes for prosperity and protection in the textile furnishings of households. Prized for their artistry since the earliest discoveries beginning at the turn of the nineteenth century, such textiles were eagerly collected by designers, artists, scholars, museums, and captains of industry. This exhibition catalogue explores the parallel histories of ancient textile production and consumption, and the modern business of collecting Late Antique textiles."-- Princeton University Press website.

Contents:

Material Meaning in Late Antiquity / Thelma K. Thomas

Charms: Protective and Auspicious Motifs / Jennifer L. Ball

The Continuity of Late Antique Patterns / Helen C. Evans

Making Textiles and Assessing Their Value / Thelma K. Thomas

Late Antique Textiles at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston: Expanded Vistas / Christine Kondoleon

Collecting and Exhibiting Late Antique Textiles at the Brooklyn Museum / Edward Bleiberg

Minor Art, Major Works: An Overview of Dumbarton Oaks' Collections of Late Antique and Medieval Textiles / Elizabeth Dospel Williams

Collecting Late Antique Textiles at the Metropolitan Museum of Art / Brandie Ratliff

A Closer Look at Textiles from the Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art: Materials and Techniques / Kathrin Colburn

Glossary

Exhibition checklist.

Notes:

Catalog of an exhibition held at New York University's Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, February 25, 2016-May 22, 2016. This exhibition catalogue explores the parallel histories of ancient textile production and consumption, and the modern business of collecting Late Antique textiles.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 149-158).

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Alec Harris & Carollina Song Fund.

ISBN:

9780691169422

069116942X

OCLC:

938361134