IMC 2016: Sessions

Session 206: DISTAFF, II: Making, Decorating, and Using Linen

Sponsor:	Discussion, Interpretation & Study of Textile Arts, Fabrics & Fashion (DISTAFF)
Organiser:	Gale R. Owen-Crocker, School of Arts, Languages & Cultures, University of Manchester
Moderator/Chair:	Elizabeth Coatsworth, now retired
Paper 206-a	Table Cloths and Table Napkins in Medieval Rabbinic Literature (Language: English) Nahum Ben-Yehuda, Department of Land of Israel Studies & Archaeology, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan Index terms: Daily Life, Hebrew and Jewish Studies, Religious Life, Social History
Paper 206-b	Revisiting the Maaseik Textiles (Language: English) Alexandra M. Lester-Makin, School of Arts, Languages & Cultures, University of Manchester Index terms: Archaeology - Artefacts, Art History - Decorative Arts, Ecclesiastical History, Gender Studies
Abstract	Hemp was the foremost material for everyday textiles in the medieval Rus lands, but it is often overlooked in both medieval and modern sources. The first paper will focus on the fact that tablecloths, napkins, and place-mats are employed in various Jewish ceremonial dining contexts. Many of these customs were either modified or innovated in medieval Europe (11th-13th centuries). The second is a re-evaluation of silk and gold embroidery on linen from Masseik.