DOI Artikel:
Głowa, Anna: Wissenschaftlichkeit in Alois Riegl’s Study of Late Antique Textiles from Egypt
DOI Seite / Zitierlink:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.73804#0044
Folia Historiae Artium
Seria Nowa, t. 22: 2024/PL ISSN 0071-6723
ANNA GŁOWA
The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin
WISSENSCHAFTLICHKEIT IN ALOIS RIEGL'S STUDY
OF LATE ANTIQUE TEXTILES FROM EGYPT
Willst du ins Unendliche schreiten
Geh nur im Endlichen nach alien Seiten.
J. W. Goethe1
One of the most renowned members of the Vienna School
of Art History, Alois Riegl (1858-1905), is remembered
among other things for having analysed lesser-known
works of art (and so-called minor arts') in such a way as
to extract from their formal features more information
than anyone else had managed to do before, and in doing
so, to provide the basis for the independence of the histo-
ry of art from other academic disciplines. This is also true
for the Late Antique textiles from Egypt in the collection
of the Imperial Royal Austrian Museum of Art and Indus-
try (k. k. Ósterreichisches Museum fur Kunst und Indus-
trie), which were the subject of Riegl's first major publica-
tion, a catalogue2 compiled at the beginning of his career
in the Museums textile department.3 The aim of this pa-
per is to demonstrate how Riegl attempted to realise in his
1 J.W. Goethe, 'Gott, Gemuth und Welt', in idem, Spruche in Rei-
men. Spruche in Prosa. Ethisches, Stuttgart and Tubingen 1850,
p. 4.
2 A. Riegl, Die Agyptischen Textilfunde im K. K. Osterreich Mu-
seum: Allgemeine Charakteristik und Katalog, Wien 1889. Apart
from the catalogue, Riegl wrote several articles wholly devoted
to those textiles: 'Fruhmittelalterliche Gewebe im Osterr. Muse-
um', Mittheilungen des Osterr. Museum, 1, 1886, no. 11, pp. 213-218;
Textilkunst (II Capitel: Alterthum), in: Geschichte der technischen
Kiinste, vol. 3, ed. B. Bucher, Stuttgart 1889, pp. 335-399; 'Spatan-
tike Stickereien', Kunstgewerbeblatt, 2, 1891, pp. 127-131; 'Zur Fra-
ge des Nachlebens der altegyptischen Kunst in der spaten Antike',
Eranos Vindobonensis 1893, pp. 191-197.
3 Riegl began as an apprentice in the textile department of the Mu-
seum in 1884; in 1885 he was promoted to the position of assis-
tant curator, and in 1886 he became an adjunct curator - see
research on Late Antique textiles the demands of scientif-
ic rigour (Wissenschaftlichkeit) propounded by his teach-
ers at the University of Vienna, and how, based on this re-
search, he developed his original approach to works of art
and the history of art.
To better comprehend Riegl's innovative approach and
original contribution to the field of Late Antique textiles
research, it must be added that from the time of the pio-
neering works of Joseph Karabacek (published in 1883)4
to the publication in 1889 of Riegl's catalogue, quite a lot
was written about these textiles, including catalogues of
temporary exhibitions or permanent collections.5 Most of
R. Winkers, 'Foreword', in A. Riegl, Late Roman Art Industry
(1901), transl. R. Winkers, Rome 1985, p. XIV.
4 J. Karabacek, Die Theodor Graf'schen Funde in Aegypten. (Der
Papyrusfund von El-Faijum, die textilen Graberfunde), Wien 1883;
idem, Katalog der Theodor Grafschen Funde in Agypten, Wien
1883.
5 G. Maspero, 'Rapport a 1'institut Egyptien sur les fouilles et tra-
vaux executes en Egypte pendant 1'hiver de 1885-1886', Bulletin de
ITnstitut Egyptien, 2, 1886, no. 7, pp. 196-251; E. Gerspach, 'Les ta-
pisseries coptes du Musee Des Gobelins', Gazette des beaux-arts:
la doyenne des revues d'art, 36, 1887; F. Bock, Kunstgeschichtliche
Beitrdge uber die vielfarbigen Gobelin-Wirkereien und Purpursti-
ckereien der spatromischen und fruhbyzantinischen Kunstepoche,
Hannover 1886; idem, Katalogfruhchristlicher Textilfunde des Jah-
res 1886, Dusseldorf 1887; A.S. Cole, A Descriptive Catalogue of
a Collection of Tapestry-woven and Embroidered Egyptian Tex-
tiles in the South Kensington Museum, London 1887; F. Hassel-
mann, 'Uber altagyptische Textilfunde in Oberagypten', Corres-
pondenzblatt der deutschen Gesellschaft fur Anthropologie, Ethno-
logie und Urgeschichte, 19, 1888; J. Ree, 'Die altchristlichen Stof-
fe und Stickereien im Germanischen Nationalmuseum', Bayeri-
sche Gewerbe-Zeitung, 1, 1888, pp. 13-78, 97-103; C.O. Harz, 'Uber
agyptische Textilstoffe des 4. bis 7. christlichen Jahrhunderts',
Seria Nowa, t. 22: 2024/PL ISSN 0071-6723
ANNA GŁOWA
The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin
WISSENSCHAFTLICHKEIT IN ALOIS RIEGL'S STUDY
OF LATE ANTIQUE TEXTILES FROM EGYPT
Willst du ins Unendliche schreiten
Geh nur im Endlichen nach alien Seiten.
J. W. Goethe1
One of the most renowned members of the Vienna School
of Art History, Alois Riegl (1858-1905), is remembered
among other things for having analysed lesser-known
works of art (and so-called minor arts') in such a way as
to extract from their formal features more information
than anyone else had managed to do before, and in doing
so, to provide the basis for the independence of the histo-
ry of art from other academic disciplines. This is also true
for the Late Antique textiles from Egypt in the collection
of the Imperial Royal Austrian Museum of Art and Indus-
try (k. k. Ósterreichisches Museum fur Kunst und Indus-
trie), which were the subject of Riegl's first major publica-
tion, a catalogue2 compiled at the beginning of his career
in the Museums textile department.3 The aim of this pa-
per is to demonstrate how Riegl attempted to realise in his
1 J.W. Goethe, 'Gott, Gemuth und Welt', in idem, Spruche in Rei-
men. Spruche in Prosa. Ethisches, Stuttgart and Tubingen 1850,
p. 4.
2 A. Riegl, Die Agyptischen Textilfunde im K. K. Osterreich Mu-
seum: Allgemeine Charakteristik und Katalog, Wien 1889. Apart
from the catalogue, Riegl wrote several articles wholly devoted
to those textiles: 'Fruhmittelalterliche Gewebe im Osterr. Muse-
um', Mittheilungen des Osterr. Museum, 1, 1886, no. 11, pp. 213-218;
Textilkunst (II Capitel: Alterthum), in: Geschichte der technischen
Kiinste, vol. 3, ed. B. Bucher, Stuttgart 1889, pp. 335-399; 'Spatan-
tike Stickereien', Kunstgewerbeblatt, 2, 1891, pp. 127-131; 'Zur Fra-
ge des Nachlebens der altegyptischen Kunst in der spaten Antike',
Eranos Vindobonensis 1893, pp. 191-197.
3 Riegl began as an apprentice in the textile department of the Mu-
seum in 1884; in 1885 he was promoted to the position of assis-
tant curator, and in 1886 he became an adjunct curator - see
research on Late Antique textiles the demands of scientif-
ic rigour (Wissenschaftlichkeit) propounded by his teach-
ers at the University of Vienna, and how, based on this re-
search, he developed his original approach to works of art
and the history of art.
To better comprehend Riegl's innovative approach and
original contribution to the field of Late Antique textiles
research, it must be added that from the time of the pio-
neering works of Joseph Karabacek (published in 1883)4
to the publication in 1889 of Riegl's catalogue, quite a lot
was written about these textiles, including catalogues of
temporary exhibitions or permanent collections.5 Most of
R. Winkers, 'Foreword', in A. Riegl, Late Roman Art Industry
(1901), transl. R. Winkers, Rome 1985, p. XIV.
4 J. Karabacek, Die Theodor Graf'schen Funde in Aegypten. (Der
Papyrusfund von El-Faijum, die textilen Graberfunde), Wien 1883;
idem, Katalog der Theodor Grafschen Funde in Agypten, Wien
1883.
5 G. Maspero, 'Rapport a 1'institut Egyptien sur les fouilles et tra-
vaux executes en Egypte pendant 1'hiver de 1885-1886', Bulletin de
ITnstitut Egyptien, 2, 1886, no. 7, pp. 196-251; E. Gerspach, 'Les ta-
pisseries coptes du Musee Des Gobelins', Gazette des beaux-arts:
la doyenne des revues d'art, 36, 1887; F. Bock, Kunstgeschichtliche
Beitrdge uber die vielfarbigen Gobelin-Wirkereien und Purpursti-
ckereien der spatromischen und fruhbyzantinischen Kunstepoche,
Hannover 1886; idem, Katalogfruhchristlicher Textilfunde des Jah-
res 1886, Dusseldorf 1887; A.S. Cole, A Descriptive Catalogue of
a Collection of Tapestry-woven and Embroidered Egyptian Tex-
tiles in the South Kensington Museum, London 1887; F. Hassel-
mann, 'Uber altagyptische Textilfunde in Oberagypten', Corres-
pondenzblatt der deutschen Gesellschaft fur Anthropologie, Ethno-
logie und Urgeschichte, 19, 1888; J. Ree, 'Die altchristlichen Stof-
fe und Stickereien im Germanischen Nationalmuseum', Bayeri-
sche Gewerbe-Zeitung, 1, 1888, pp. 13-78, 97-103; C.O. Harz, 'Uber
agyptische Textilstoffe des 4. bis 7. christlichen Jahrhunderts',