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IMC 2008: Sessions

Session 116: Textiles and Jewellery: The Colours of Anglo-Saxon England

Monday 7 July 2008, 11.15-12.45

Sponsor:Department of English Language, University of Glasgow
Organiser:Carole Biggam, Department of English Language, University of Glasgow
Moderator/Chair:Maria A. D'Aronco, Dipartimento di Lingue & Letterature Germaniche & Romanze, Università di Udine
Paper 116-aNatural and Unnatural: Colour in the Bayeux Tapestry
(Language: English)
Gale R. Owen-Crocker, Department of English & American Studies, University of Manchester
Index terms: Art History - General, Art History - Decorative Arts
Paper 116-bAll the Colours of the Rainbow: Archaeological Plant Remains and Medieval Textile Dyeing
(Language: English)
Allan Richard Hall, Department of Archaeology, University of York
Index terms: Archaeology - Artefacts, Archaeology - Sites
Paper 116-cColour and Light: The Materials of Anglo-Saxon Jewellery
(Language: English)
David A. Hinton, Centre for Medieval & Renaissance Culture, University of Southampton
Index terms: Archaeology - Artefacts, Art History - Decorative Arts
Abstract

This session will present certain aspects of colour in Anglo-Saxon England, with particular emphasis on textiles and jewellery. Owen-Crocker will discuss the colours of the Bayeux Tapestry, including their sources, and the often strange portrayal of trees, water, and animals. Hall will survey the archaeobotanical evidence for dye-plants from medieval Britain and Ireland, with particular reference to the extensive finds from the Anglo-Scandinavian period in York. Finally, Hinton will demonstrate the wide range of colour and light effects in Anglo-Saxon jewellery, and the various materials which created such visual delights.