16th C embroidered Anatolian Holbein Carpet fragment

Look at this 16th C embroidered Anatolian Holbein Carpet fragment in the V&A Museum in London. It’s very interesting because it was woven in France. Who could have woven this?

I think this Holbein embroidery was woven by Armenians who fled westward and founded or joined existing diaspora communities in France after the fall of the Cilicia Kingdom in the 15th C.

Now, look at the border illustration of the Khachkar at Handaberd Monastery 12th-13th C. The interlaced border motifs are the same as the Holbein embroidery.

Leo V or Levon V (occasionally Levon VI; Armenian: Լևոն, Levon V; 1342 – 29 November 1393), of the House of Lusignan, was the last Latin king of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia. He ruled from 1374 to 1375.

Leon V died in Paris on November 29, 1393. His remains were laid to rest in the Couvent des Célestins, the second most important burial site for royalty after Saint-Denis, located near what is now the Place de la Bastille in Paris.

by Arto Tavukciyan

Read more: collections.vam.ac.uk