Archaeological Textile Findings of 17th – 18th Centuries from the Quarter of the Novodevichy Convent in Moscow. Attribution and Reconstruction

Abstract

The article considers the textile findings of 17th – 18th centuries obtained during archaeological studies conducted in 2014–2015 at the cemetery of St. John the Baptist Church in the quarter of Novodevichy Convent. The items were in an extremely unsatisfactory state of preservation. The study allowed to identify their purpose and partially reconstruct their appearance and decoration. Of most interest among the remaining items were the fragments of shirts, covers and a phaelonion shoulder. On the basis of the results of reconstruction conducted by the author, the phaelonion, representing an element of church attire, featured a high rigid trapezoid shoulder made of red velvet and decorated with gold ornamental embroidery imitating the appearance of Turkish textile. According to the author, similar shoulders in terms of the shape and manufacturing technique are characteristic of the discovered phaelonions of 16th – 17th cc.

Keywords

• archaeology
• quarter of the Novodevichy Convent
• cemetery
• textile
• gold embroidery
• shirt
• cover
• shoulder
• phaelonion
• reconstruction