Bishop Gunther's shroud

This silk, used to wrap the body of Bishop Gunther of Bamberg, is one of the most impressive works that has come down to us from Byzantium. Gunther was elected Bishop of Bamberg in 1057. In 1064, together with Archbishop Siegfried I of Mainz, he made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. On their return, they made a brief halt in Constantinople. It is difficult to understand the context in which this silk was acquired. It may have been given to him directly by Emperor Constantine X (1059–1067) or been bought in Constantinople. Western sources give no particular information on the subject. On his return voyage to his sovereign, Henry IV, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, Bishop Gunther fell ill and died in Hungary in 1065. The silk was used as his shroud. His body was brought back to Bamberg by his disciples and buried in the cathedral there.

This monumental textile depicts a Byzantine emperor on horseback, flanked by two female figures. The figures are shown on a background of a floral decoration that is predominantly purple. No inscription indicates the identity of the emperor, and the fabric is badly damaged just at his face. The emperor wears a richly ornamented garment and his horse, too, has lavish trimmings. The two female figures wear crenellated crowns, signifying, in Roman tradition, that they personify cities. The cities personified here may be Constantinople and Rome, but other interpretations are also possible, such as the demes of Constantinople. More generally, the images may represent the emperor's power. The woman facing the horse is offering a crown to the emperor, while the other one is presenting him with a toupha, a gem-studded crown topped with a peacock feather crest. This is the crown worn by Justinian I on a famous equestrian statue that stood on the Augustaion, an immense square near the imperial palace and Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. The women's finery, including, most notably, earrings laden with pearls, necklaces, armbands and bracelets, suggests wealth and luxury. The upper and lower parts of the textile comprise a border made of medallions filled with floral motifs. However, Gunther's silk has no decorative lateral framing, which might indicate that it was intended as a decorative hanging. Several historical sources mention such usage: the textiles would be hung between two columns.

This silk was most certainly produced in Constantinople. It does not seem to commemorate a specific event, such as the triumph of Emperor John I Tzimiskes (969–976) in 971, or the triumph of Basil II (976–1025) over the Bulgarians; the emperor is not wearing military attire to suggest this. It seems, rather, to be a universal representation of the triumphant emperor, and the imperial insignia shown emphasise the role and importance of the Byzantine emperor.

This textile is a good illustration of the relationships and exchanges between the Byzantine and the Western worlds, and its tapestry technique shows a connection between Byzantium and ancient Coptic Egypt[1].