02-28-2006, 11:14 PM
I have emboidered my late Roman tunic's clavi and 'orbiculli' and I would be the first to agree that it is extremely time consuming for someone who is much more used to carving bone than doing embroidery. However, if you had someone who was a keen embroiderer (although they would probably require greater competence than simple cross-stitch embroidery) they might be able to embroider some of the simpler designs much more quickly. What I am thinking of here is the figural designs such as eagles and warriors, which are sometimes little more than outlines with a little internal detail, compared to some of the geometric designs which leave very little of the background colour showing.
For the embroidery on my clavi I copied a simple vine pattern I took from a tunic auctioned at Christie's a year or two ago. The beauty of this design was that I could gradually build it up, starting with the double lined border of each clavus, then, when time allowed, adding a rippled line along the centre of each clavus. To this I later added the triple leaf motif in each clavus terminal. This is as far as I have got so far but at none of these stages has it looked unfinished. Each successive stage has simply made it seem more decorated. I have still to add the leafy offshoots from the rippled line which will complete the vine pattern itself. At some stage after that I will add the upward curving projections which give the impression of saw teeth on the outer edges of each clavus.
The only caveat I would give towards embroidery, is that although I have heard of embroidered clavi and orbiculi I have not been able to get pictures of any which were made by any technique other than weaving. Therefore I have no guarantee that my embroidery will look correct.
One of these days I will get myself a digital camera and take a photo I can post up so that my hard work can be torn up by those who know more about this sort of thing than me.
Crispvs :roll:
For the embroidery on my clavi I copied a simple vine pattern I took from a tunic auctioned at Christie's a year or two ago. The beauty of this design was that I could gradually build it up, starting with the double lined border of each clavus, then, when time allowed, adding a rippled line along the centre of each clavus. To this I later added the triple leaf motif in each clavus terminal. This is as far as I have got so far but at none of these stages has it looked unfinished. Each successive stage has simply made it seem more decorated. I have still to add the leafy offshoots from the rippled line which will complete the vine pattern itself. At some stage after that I will add the upward curving projections which give the impression of saw teeth on the outer edges of each clavus.
The only caveat I would give towards embroidery, is that although I have heard of embroidered clavi and orbiculi I have not been able to get pictures of any which were made by any technique other than weaving. Therefore I have no guarantee that my embroidery will look correct.
One of these days I will get myself a digital camera and take a photo I can post up so that my hard work can be torn up by those who know more about this sort of thing than me.
Crispvs :roll:
Who is called \'\'Paul\'\' by no-one other than his wife, parents and brothers. :!: <img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_exclaim.gif" alt=":!:" title="Exclamation" />:!:
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<a class="postlink" href="http://www.romanarmy.net">www.romanarmy.net
