Gunthertuch
Encyclopedia
The so-called Gunthertuch is a Byzantine silk
tapestry
which represents the triumphal
return of a Byzantine Emperor from a victorious campaign. The piece was purchased, or possibly received as a gift, by Gunther von Bamberg, Bishop
of Bamberg
, during his pilgrimage 1064/65 to the Holy Land
. Gunther died on his return journey, and was buried with it in the Bamberg Cathedral. The fabric was rediscovered in 1830, and is now exhibited in the Bamberg Diocesan Museum.
to Jerusalem, under the leadership of the Archbishop of Mainz Siegfried I, the Bishop of Utrecht William I, and the Bishop of Regensburg, Otto von Riedenburg. The pilgrims, numbering some 7,000 people, journeyed through Hungary
and then through the Byzantine Empire
to the Holy Land.
At Constantinople
, the Byzantine capital, Gunther's imposing stature and his elegant clothes led to the belief that he was the emperor Henry IV
, travelling incognito. It is unknown how Gunther came by the silk. The Byzantinist Günter Prinzing theorized that the cloth was actually used as a wall tapestry in the Hagia Sophia
. Gunther von Bamberg died on 23 July 1065 during his return journey at Székesfehérvár
due to a severe illness. The other pilgrims brought his body home to Bamberg, wrapped in the cloth. There he was buried until rediscovered on 22 December 1830, when Gunther's grave was opened as part of extensive restoration works on the cathedral. Today, the Gunthertuch is exhibited alongside 11th-century imperial robes, the regalia and vestments of Pope Clement II
and other items in the Diocesan Museum (Diözesanmuseum Bamberg).
technique. It is 218 cm high and 211 cm wide, showing a Byzantine emperor on a patterned background. He is riding on a white horse, wears a Byzantine-style imperial crown, and carries a miniature labarum
on his right hand. The emperor is flanked by two Tyche
figures, female personifications of a city's fortune. They are crowned with mural crown
s and dressed in ankle-long yellow undergarments and coloured transparent over-tunics. The Tyche on the right, with a green over-tunic, presents the emperor probably with a crown, while the left one, dressed in blue, holds the toupha
, a headgear reserved exclusively for triumphs. Both figures are represented barefoot, a symbolic convention typical of slaves, signifying their submission to the emperor.
, with Basil II
(r. 976–1025), and his triumphal return from his wars
against the Bulgarians
. Modern research however has concluded that the cloth represents John I Tzimiskes
(r. 969–976) and his return in 971 from his campaign against the Rus'
, who had invaded and occupied
Bulgaria.
According to the contemporary historian Leo the Deacon
, during his triumphal procession Tzimiskes rode on a white horse behind a wagon carrying an icon of the Virgin Mary as well as the Bulgarian regalia, with the captive Bulgarian Tsar Boris II
and his family following behind Tzimiskes. The later account of John Skylitzes
differs in some details in the description of the procession, but both sources agree that on this occasion, Tzimiskes rode a white horse, and that two Bulgarian crowns played an important role in the proceedings. Both authors also agree that one of these crowns was a tiara
(i.e. the toupha), in accordance with the Gunthertuchs depiction.
Older sources interpreted the two Tychae as representing Rome
and Constantinople ("New Rome"), or even Athens
and Constantinople, the two cities where Basil II celebrated his victory over the Bulgarians. A different proposal suggested, based on the colour of their clothes, that they represented the Blues and the Greens, the two traditional demoi (circus parties
) of Constantinople. Modern scholarship on the other hand suggests that they may represent the two major cities captured during Tzimiskes' campaign, Preslav
and Dorostolon. It is significant in this context that these two cities were renamed into Ioannoupolis (after the emperor) and Theodoroupolis (after St. Theodore the Stratelate
, who was believed to have intervened in the final battle against the Rus' before Dorostolon).
Byzantine silk
Byzantine silk is silk woven in the Byzantine Empire from about the 4th century until the Fall of Constantinople in 1453.The Byzantine capital of Constantinople was the first significant silk-weaving center in Europe. Silk was one of the most important commodities in the Byzantine economy, used by...
tapestry
Tapestry
Tapestry is a form of textile art, traditionally woven on a vertical loom, however it can also be woven on a floor loom as well. It is composed of two sets of interlaced threads, those running parallel to the length and those parallel to the width ; the warp threads are set up under tension on a...
which represents the triumphal
Roman triumph
The Roman triumph was a civil ceremony and religious rite of ancient Rome, held to publicly celebrate and sanctify the military achievement of an army commander who had won great military successes, or originally and traditionally, one who had successfully completed a foreign war. In Republican...
return of a Byzantine Emperor from a victorious campaign. The piece was purchased, or possibly received as a gift, by Gunther von Bamberg, Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of Bamberg
Bamberg
Bamberg is a city in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in Upper Franconia on the river Regnitz, close to its confluence with the river Main. Bamberg is one of the few cities in Germany that was not destroyed by World War II bombings because of a nearby Artillery Factory that prevented planes from...
, during his pilgrimage 1064/65 to the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
. Gunther died on his return journey, and was buried with it in the Bamberg Cathedral. The fabric was rediscovered in 1830, and is now exhibited in the Bamberg Diocesan Museum.
History
In November 1064, Gunther took part in a pilgrimagePilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
to Jerusalem, under the leadership of the Archbishop of Mainz Siegfried I, the Bishop of Utrecht William I, and the Bishop of Regensburg, Otto von Riedenburg. The pilgrims, numbering some 7,000 people, journeyed through Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
and then through the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
to the Holy Land.
At Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, the Byzantine capital, Gunther's imposing stature and his elegant clothes led to the belief that he was the emperor Henry IV
Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry IV was King of the Romans from 1056 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1084 until his forced abdication in 1105. He was the third emperor of the Salian dynasty and one of the most powerful and important figures of the 11th century...
, travelling incognito. It is unknown how Gunther came by the silk. The Byzantinist Günter Prinzing theorized that the cloth was actually used as a wall tapestry in the Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia is a former Orthodox patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, and now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey...
. Gunther von Bamberg died on 23 July 1065 during his return journey at Székesfehérvár
Székesfehérvár
Székesfehérvár is a city in central Hungary and is the 9th largest in the country. Located around southwest of Budapest. It is inhabited by 101,973 people , with 136,995 in the Székesfehérvár Subregion. The city is the centre of Fejér county and the regional centre of Central Transdanubia...
due to a severe illness. The other pilgrims brought his body home to Bamberg, wrapped in the cloth. There he was buried until rediscovered on 22 December 1830, when Gunther's grave was opened as part of extensive restoration works on the cathedral. Today, the Gunthertuch is exhibited alongside 11th-century imperial robes, the regalia and vestments of Pope Clement II
Pope Clement II
Pope Clement II , was Pope from December 25, 1046 to his death. He was the first in a series of reform-minded popes from Germany.Born in Hornburg, Lower Saxony, Germany, he was the son of Count Konrad of Morsleben and Hornburg and his wife Amulrad.In 1040, he became Bishop of Bamberg...
and other items in the Diocesan Museum (Diözesanmuseum Bamberg).
Description
The cloth is a woven using the tapestryTapestry
Tapestry is a form of textile art, traditionally woven on a vertical loom, however it can also be woven on a floor loom as well. It is composed of two sets of interlaced threads, those running parallel to the length and those parallel to the width ; the warp threads are set up under tension on a...
technique. It is 218 cm high and 211 cm wide, showing a Byzantine emperor on a patterned background. He is riding on a white horse, wears a Byzantine-style imperial crown, and carries a miniature labarum
Labarum
The labarum was a vexillum that displayed the "Chi-Rho" symbol ☧, formed from the first two Greek letters of the word "Christ" — Chi and Rho . It was used by the Roman emperor Constantine I...
on his right hand. The emperor is flanked by two Tyche
Tyche
In ancient Greek city cults, Tyche was the presiding tutelary deity that governed the fortune and prosperity of a city, its destiny....
figures, female personifications of a city's fortune. They are crowned with mural crown
Mural crown
-Usage in ancient times:In Hellenistic culture, a mural crown identified the goddess Tyche, the embodiment of the fortune of a city, familiar to Romans as Fortuna...
s and dressed in ankle-long yellow undergarments and coloured transparent over-tunics. The Tyche on the right, with a green over-tunic, presents the emperor probably with a crown, while the left one, dressed in blue, holds the toupha
Toupha
The toupha is a plumage of the hair or bristles of exotic animals, used to decorate horsemen's helmets and emperors' crowns.One of the most famous touphas is that which surmounted the crown or helmet of the equestrian statue of Justinian I on the column raised by that emperor in the Augustaion...
, a headgear reserved exclusively for triumphs. Both figures are represented barefoot, a symbolic convention typical of slaves, signifying their submission to the emperor.
Interpretation
The emperor was initially identified, by the French Byzantinist André GrabarAndré Grabar
André Grabar was an art historian of Medieval and Byzantine art. Born and raised in Ukraine and educated in the Russian Empire, he spent much of his career in France and the US but wrote all his papers in French...
, with Basil II
Basil II
Basil II , known in his time as Basil the Porphyrogenitus and Basil the Young to distinguish him from his ancestor Basil I the Macedonian, was a Byzantine emperor from the Macedonian dynasty who reigned from 10 January 976 to 15 December 1025.The first part of his long reign was dominated...
(r. 976–1025), and his triumphal return from his wars
Byzantine conquest of Bulgaria
The Byzantine conquest of Bulgaria lasted from 968 to 1018, and was a military conflict that marked the beginning of the second apogee of the Byzantine Empire, which managed to incorporate most of the Balkan Peninsula, controlled by the First Bulgarian Empire, ridding itself of one of its most...
against the Bulgarians
First Bulgarian Empire
The First Bulgarian Empire was a medieval Bulgarian state founded in the north-eastern Balkans in c. 680 by the Bulgars, uniting with seven South Slavic tribes...
. Modern research however has concluded that the cloth represents John I Tzimiskes
John I Tzimiskes
John I Tzimiskes or Tzimisces, was Byzantine Emperor from December 11, 969 to January 10, 976. A brilliant and intuitive general, John's short reign saw the expansion of the empire's borders and the strengthening of Byzantium itself.- Background :...
(r. 969–976) and his return in 971 from his campaign against the Rus'
Rus' (people)
The Rus' were a group of Varangians . According to the Primary Chronicle of Rus, compiled in about 1113 AD, the Rus had relocated from the Baltic region , first to Northeastern Europe, creating an early polity which finally came under the leadership of Rurik...
, who had invaded and occupied
Sviatoslav's invasion of Bulgaria
Sviatoslav's invasion of Bulgaria refers to a conflict beginning in 967/968 and ending in 971, carried out in the eastern Balkans and involving the Kievan Rus', Bulgaria, and the Byzantine Empire. The Byzantines instigated the Rus' ruler Sviatoslav to attack Bulgaria, leading to the collapse of the...
Bulgaria.
According to the contemporary historian Leo the Deacon
Leo the Deacon
Leo the Deacon was a Byzantine Roman historian and chronicler.He was born around 950 at Kaloe in Asia Minor, and was educated in Constantinople, where he became a deacon in the imperial palace. While in Constantinople he wrote a history covering the reigns of Romanus II, Nicepheros II, John...
, during his triumphal procession Tzimiskes rode on a white horse behind a wagon carrying an icon of the Virgin Mary as well as the Bulgarian regalia, with the captive Bulgarian Tsar Boris II
Boris II of Bulgaria
Boris II was emperor of Bulgaria from 969 to 977 .-Reign:Boris II was the eldest surviving son of Emperor Peter I of Bulgaria and Maria Lakapena, a granddaughter of Emperor Romanos I Lakapenos of Byzantium...
and his family following behind Tzimiskes. The later account of John Skylitzes
John Skylitzes
John Skylitzes, latinized as Ioannes Scylitzes was a Greek historian of the late 11th century. He was born in the beginning of 1040's and died after 1101.- Life :Very little is known about his life...
differs in some details in the description of the procession, but both sources agree that on this occasion, Tzimiskes rode a white horse, and that two Bulgarian crowns played an important role in the proceedings. Both authors also agree that one of these crowns was a tiara
Tiara
A tiara is a form of crown. There are two possible types of crown that this word can refer to.Traditionally, the word "tiara" refers to a high crown, often with the shape of a cylinder narrowed at its top, made of fabric or leather, and richly ornamented. It was used by the kings and emperors of...
(i.e. the toupha), in accordance with the Gunthertuchs depiction.
Older sources interpreted the two Tychae as representing Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and Constantinople ("New Rome"), or even Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
and Constantinople, the two cities where Basil II celebrated his victory over the Bulgarians. A different proposal suggested, based on the colour of their clothes, that they represented the Blues and the Greens, the two traditional demoi (circus parties
Chariot racing
Chariot racing was one of the most popular ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine sports. Chariot racing was often dangerous to both driver and horse as they frequently suffered serious injury and even death, but generated strong spectator enthusiasm...
) of Constantinople. Modern scholarship on the other hand suggests that they may represent the two major cities captured during Tzimiskes' campaign, Preslav
Preslav
Preslav was the capital of the First Bulgarian Empire from 893 to 972 and one of the most important cities of medieval Southeastern Europe. The ruins of the city are situated in modern northeastern Bulgaria, some 20 kilometres southwest of the regional capital of Shumen, and are currently a...
and Dorostolon. It is significant in this context that these two cities were renamed into Ioannoupolis (after the emperor) and Theodoroupolis (after St. Theodore the Stratelate
Theodore Stratelates
Theodore Stratelates , also known as Theodore of Heraclea, is a martyr and Warrior Saint venerated with the title Great-martyr in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Catholic and Roman Catholic Churches....
, who was believed to have intervened in the final battle against the Rus' before Dorostolon).