“Amazon” silk

This probably the finest example of a group of Near Eastern “Amazon” textiles. The identification of the figures with the huntresses of Greek mythology is improbable. Nothing allows us to say that these are women. The poses, dress and theme of this motif are entirely Persian.

Certain, more modest, variants are bicoloured. The motif is well-known; two hunters on horseback drawing their bows while turning round in a gesture known as a Parthian shot. They have already shot an arrow that has lodged in the back of their prey, usually a lion, but sometimes, like here, a panther.

“Amazon” silks are kept in various museums (Dumbarton Oaks Museum, Washington; Victoria and Albert Museum, London; Musée des tissus, Lyon).

Another high-quality example is unquestionably the fragment that comes from Saint Servatius in Maastricht,omega constellation replica which uses five colours. Although it is incomplete –only the left half of a medallion remains– it shows several details, notably in the hunter’s dress and the horse’s harness. Moreover, this silk allows us to establish that these are late variations on a theme that had its greatest success in the past. Upon closely observing the motif of the Maastricht silk, one notices that the hunter is wearing a bizarrely shaped slipper on his foot. This detail reveals an error in the interpretation of the subject – the foot was confused with the tail of an arrow lodged in the back of the prey.

Among the textiles that could have served as models, the various examples depicting Bahrām Gūr hunting may be cited, one of which is kept in the church of Saint-Calais in Le Mans. Other variants may be found in Sant’Ambrogio in Milan, Cologne Cathedral or the library of Prague Castle. The hunter, wearing a characteristic Sasanian helmet, may be identified with the Persian sovereign Bahrām Gūr V (420–38) because, as on these silks, Bahrām pierced an onager and the wildcat attacking it with the same arrow.

Very revealing it the fact that certain “Amazon” textiles feature a cross placed between the heads of the horsemen, while others sport a Kufic inscription. Instead of assuming that this is a distinction between Byzantine and Islamic works, it should be acknowledged that this decoration was highly popular, attested by the number of examples found, notably in the West, and produced on a large scale. By using specific details, certain workshops clearly aimed to satisfy a varied clientele and favour the export of their production.

Likewise, the polychromy or richness of the decoration could meet the demands of a wealthier clientele able to pay more than those who had to make due with the bicoloured variants with simpler motifs.

More generally, it may be acknowledged that these silks constitute a category that is more accessible than the textiles decorated with more complex hunting scenes, inscribed inside large medallions, which probably came from the imperial workshops. The Bahrām Gūr silks may certainly be linked to this category.