Culture

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

Vigen Avetisyan

Recent Posts

A Tower Crowned by a Lion-Rider: Reading a Bronze Age Cult Vessel Through the Lens of the Armenian Highlands

A small, weathered piece of fired clay — barely 31 centimeters tall — sits today…

3 days ago

A Hand Reaching Through Three Millennia: The Bronze Pendant from Yeghvard

Pendant (Amulet) in the Shape of a Human Hand | 7th–6th centuries BC | Yeghvard…

1 week ago

Duduk (Tsiranapogh): The Ancient Voice of Armenia from the Bronze Age to UNESCO Heritage

Introduction The duduk (Armenian: դուդուկ)—traditionally known as tsiranapogh (ծիրանափող, “apricot-wood pipe”)—is one of the most…

2 weeks ago

The Earliest Known Mention of Yerevan in Armenian Epigraphy: The 874 Inscription of Sevanavank

Perched on the rocky peninsula of Lake Sevan, the medieval monastery of Sevanavank preserves one…

3 weeks ago

The Land of Kajants: Language, Kings, and Gods

Reconsidering the Language and Sacred Heritage of Urartu in Armenian Historical Thought For more than…

1 month ago

Hayasa-Azzi: A Powerful Armenian Kingdom of the Armenian Highlands

Among the earliest known states of the Armenian Highlands, few are as historically important as…

1 month ago