rics going back to the 3rd century have
been found in Egypt which must have been one of the chief centres for the
production of silk as for linen textiles. The Victoria and Albert Museum is
particularly rich in early silks. One fine example, having rose-coloured
stripes and repeated figures of Samson and the lion, must be of the great
period of the 6th century. The description of St Sophia written at that
time tells of the altar curtains that they bore woven images of Christ, St
Peter and St Paul standing under tabernacles upon a crimson ground, their
garments being enriched with gold embroidery. Later the patterns became
more barbaric and of great scale, lions trampled across the stuff, and in
large circles were displayed eagles, griffins and the like in a fine
heraldic style. From the origin of the raw material in China and India and
the ease of transport, such figured stuffs gathered up and distributed
patterns over both Europe and Asia. The Persian influence is marked. There
is, for example, a pattern of a curious dragon having front feet and a
peacock's tail. It appears on a silver Persian dish in the Hermitage
Museum, it is found on the mixed Byzantine and Persian carvings of the
palace of Mashita, and it occurs on several silks of which there are two
varieties at the Victoria and Albert Museum, both of which are classed as
Byzantine; it is difficult to say of many of these patterns whether they
are Sassanian originals or Byzantine adaptations from them.

AUTHORITIES.--A very complete bibliography is given by H. Leclercq, _Manuel
d'archeologie chretienne_ (Paris, 1907). The current authorities for all
that concerns Byzantine history or art [v.04 p.0911] are:--_Byzantinische
Zeitschrift ..._ (Leipzig, 1892 seq.); _Oriens Christianus_ (Rome, 1900
seq.). See also Dom R.P. Cabrol, _Dictionnaire d'archeologie chretienne_,
&c. (Paris, 1902 seq.). The best general introduction is:--C. Bayet, _L'Art
byzantin_ (Paris, 1883, new edition, 1904). See J. Strzygowski, _Orient
oder Rom_ (Leipzig, 1901) and other works; Kondakov, _Les Emaux byz._
(1892), and other works; C. Diehl, _Justinien et la civilis. byz._ (Paris,
1901), and other works; G. Millet, _Le Monastere de Daphne_, &c. (Paris,
1899), and other works; L.G. Schlumberger, _L'Epopee byz._ &c. (1896 seq.);
A. Michel, _Histoire de l'art_, vol. i. (Paris, 1905); H. Brockhaus, _Die
Kunst in den Athos-Klostern_ (Leipzig, 1891); E. Molinier, _Histoire
generale des arts_, &c. i