DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.3720#0057
DRESSES.—FINE LINEN. 41
robe ; und this the painters never fail to indicate on the monu-
ments, as well as the waving lines purposely impressed upon it
by the goeffreying process. Indeed the fineness of Egyptian
linen was always celebrated; and some pieces have been found
of the most delicate texture, one of which contains no less than
540 (or 270 double) threads in the warp and 110 in the woof,
without any appearance of the breaks, knots, or irregularities
so common in our modern manufactures. Of such fine thread
was the linen corslet of Amasis ; each thread of which consisted
of 365 fibres. The transparent dresses represented on the
monuments were of equally fine quality, though the threads
were not so close as in the piece above mentioned, but were
apparently of the more open texture of some in the museum of
the Louvre. The Egyptian looms were also famed for their
fine cotton and woollen fabrics; and many of these were
worked with patterns in brilliant colours, which on dresses
worn by women were very varied. They were mostly worked
with the needle, but some were woven in the piece. Of these
last were the linen and cotton fabrics with blue borders; the
threads having been previously dyed with indigo; and stripes,
or some other simple devices, were generally put into the stuff
on the loom. Some of the stripes were of gold thread, alter-
nating with red lines as a border. It was also usual to em-
broider patterns in the staircase-style, common in our worsted
work; and some were made out with long stitches, that
laid down the figures, or devices on the surface. Some of
these are in the Louvre (woodcut, 22). They are mostly
cotton; and though their date is uncertain, they suffice to
show that the manufacture was Egyptian; and the many
dresses painted on the monuments of the eighteenth dynasty
show that the most varied patterns were used by the
Egyptians more than 3000 years ago, as they were at a
robe ; und this the painters never fail to indicate on the monu-
ments, as well as the waving lines purposely impressed upon it
by the goeffreying process. Indeed the fineness of Egyptian
linen was always celebrated; and some pieces have been found
of the most delicate texture, one of which contains no less than
540 (or 270 double) threads in the warp and 110 in the woof,
without any appearance of the breaks, knots, or irregularities
so common in our modern manufactures. Of such fine thread
was the linen corslet of Amasis ; each thread of which consisted
of 365 fibres. The transparent dresses represented on the
monuments were of equally fine quality, though the threads
were not so close as in the piece above mentioned, but were
apparently of the more open texture of some in the museum of
the Louvre. The Egyptian looms were also famed for their
fine cotton and woollen fabrics; and many of these were
worked with patterns in brilliant colours, which on dresses
worn by women were very varied. They were mostly worked
with the needle, but some were woven in the piece. Of these
last were the linen and cotton fabrics with blue borders; the
threads having been previously dyed with indigo; and stripes,
or some other simple devices, were generally put into the stuff
on the loom. Some of the stripes were of gold thread, alter-
nating with red lines as a border. It was also usual to em-
broider patterns in the staircase-style, common in our worsted
work; and some were made out with long stitches, that
laid down the figures, or devices on the surface. Some of
these are in the Louvre (woodcut, 22). They are mostly
cotton; and though their date is uncertain, they suffice to
show that the manufacture was Egyptian; and the many
dresses painted on the monuments of the eighteenth dynasty
show that the most varied patterns were used by the
Egyptians more than 3000 years ago, as they were at a