NOW: Lost Red Sock – 9804 & Found Mate – GT 4498

For today’s Nalbound Object of the Week we get a two for one special. The left sock was in Berlin, but has been missing since World War II. Luckily, they had taken really nice (B&W) photos of it. Given its size, color, gauge, shaping, presumed find location & dealer, and the fact that it is a left sock, we highly suspect that it is the mate to the right sock that is currently located about 600 km away in the Modemuseum in Schloss Ludwigsburg.


Upper: Right sock GT 4498 .
Photo Origin/Rights: Landesmuseum Württemberg / Landesmuseum Württemberg, P. Frankenstein / H. Zwietasch (CC BY-SA)
Photo cropped and combined with:

Lower: Lost Left sock 9804
Photo Credit: Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Skulpturensammlung und Museum für Byzantinische Kunst / Hietzke-Saalisch, Ruth CC BY-SA 4.0

Object: Left red sock – 9804 & Right1 red sock – GT 4498

Description: Barbara Köstner (now Thomas) noted in her 2015 article “Roman and Late Roman nalbinding socks from Egypt: Bringing ‘Egyptian fashion’ to the North” that these two socks may have been a pair as both shared the same find location, color, dimensions, stitch direction, and density as well as both having been purchased from Robert Forrer in Straßbourg in 1890.2 A conclusion that I came to separately for exactly the same reasons while aggregating information on the Egyptian socks for my presentation “Charting the Nalbinding of the Nile.” While it took until 1979 for the English language publications to recognize that this style of sock was not knitted, GT 4498 was used as the example for exactly why this style of sock cannot be knitted in a German publication in 1954.3
Left sock: Height: 10 cm, Length: 18 cm4
Right sock: Length: 18 cm, Width: 8.5 cm, Height: 9 cm5

Dated to: Left sock: 3rd – 5th century CE, estimated 250-430 CE based on the radiocarbon dating of similar socks in the V&A and the British Museum.6
Right sock: 500-699 CE,7 Coptic8 based on conventional art historical dating which has proven unreliable.

Find location: Left sock: Egypt, presumably Achmim9
Right sock: Achmim10

Material: Left sock: Red wool11
Right sock: S2Z, S3Z12 Wool13

Stitch(es) used: Left sock: S-crossed14 Cross-knit Looping, F1B1 U (confirmed by Anne Marie Decker based on photo)
Right sock: S-crossed15 Cross-knit Looping, F1B1 U (Confirmed by Anne Marie Decker based on photo and diagram published by v. Bültzingslöwen & Lehmann). The museum catalog still misidentifies it as knitted16 even though v. Bültzingslöwen & Lehmann identified it as looped in 1954.

Gauge: Right sock: 4 stitches per centimeter, 5-6 rows per centimeter17

Inventory number:
Left sock: Ident. Nr. 9804
Right sock: GT 4498

Current location:
Left sock: unknown, lost in WWII, but still listed in the collection of the Skulpturensammlung und Museum für Byzantinische Kunst
Right sock: in the Modemuseum in Schloss Ludwigsburg which is a branch museum of Landesmuseum Württemberg

Link to museum catalog or other data:
Left sock: https://id.smb.museum/object/1372869/strumpf
Right sock: https://www.landesmuseum-stuttgart.de/sammlung/sammlung-online/dk-details?dk_object_id=38649

Some sources in which more information can be found:

Fluck, Cäcilia, Petra Linscheid, and Susanne Merz. Textilien aus Ägypten Teil 1: Textilien aus dem Vorbesitz Theodor Graf, Carl Schmidt und dem Ägyptischen Museum Berlin. Staatliche Museen zu Berlin – Preußischer Kulturbesitz. Skulpturensammlung und Museum für Byzantinische Kunst. Bestandskataloge. Band 1. Germany: Dr. Ludwig Reichert Verlag, 2000. ISBN 13: 9783895001321

Köstner, Barbara. “Roman and Late Roman nalbinding socks from Egypt: Bringing ‘Egyptian fashion’ to the North” in Excavating, analysing, reconstructing Textiles of the 1st millennium AD from Egypt and neighbouring countries: Proceeding of the 9th conference of the research group ‘Textiles from the Nile Valley’ Antwerp, 27-29 November 2015, edited by Antoine De Moor, Cäcilia Fluck, and Petra Linscheid. Tielt, Belgium: Lannoo Publishers, 2017. ISBN 978 94 014 4399 9.

v. Bültzingslöwen, Regina, and Dr. E. Lehmann. “Nichtgewebte Textilien vor 1400 / IV. Teil.” Wirkerei- und Strickerei- Technik: Fachzeitschrift für die Fabrikationspraxis und Betriebstechnik der Wirkerei- und Strickerei-Industrie Coberg: August 1954, Nr. 8. Pgs. 41-43.

Photographs (if permissions allow):

GT 4498 Right sock. Likely mate to the Lost Left Red Sock 9804
Photo Origin/Rights: Landesmuseum Württemberg / Landesmuseum Württemberg, P. Frankenstein / H. Zwietasch (CC BY-SA)
Lost Left Red Sock 9804
Photo Credit: Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Skulpturensammlung und Museum für Byzantinische Kunst / Hietzke-Saalisch, Ruth CC BY-SA 4.0
Lost Left Red Sock 9804
Photo Credit: Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Skulpturensammlung und Museum für Byzantinische Kunst / Hietzke-Saalisch, Ruth CC BY-SA 4.0
Lost Left Red Sock 9804
Photo Credit: Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Skulpturensammlung und Museum für Byzantinische Kunst / Hietzke-Saalisch, Ruth CC BY-SA 4.0

Please note that sharing to other venues will likely be intermittent. If you wish to receive these each week, please remember to follow the blog.
Patrons on Patreon receive early access previews, occasional extra details, and priority requests.

  1. Köstner, Barbara. “Roman and Late Roman nalbinding socks from Egypt: Bringing ‘Egyptian fashion’ to the North” in Excavating, analysing, reconstructing Textiles of the 1st millennium AD from Egypt and neighbouring countries: Proceeding of the 9th conference of the research group ‘Textiles from the Nile Valley’ Antwerp, 27-29 November 2015, edited by Antoine De Moor, Cäcilia Fluck, and Petra Linscheid. Tielt, Belgium: Lannoo Publishers, 2017. ISBN 978 94 014 4399 9. pg. 192-193. ↩︎
  2. Köstner, Barbara. “Roman and Late Roman nalbinding socks from Egypt: Bringing ‘Egyptian fashion’ to the North” in Excavating, analysing, reconstructing Textiles of the 1st millennium AD from Egypt and neighbouring countries: Proceeding of the 9th conference of the research group ‘Textiles from the Nile Valley’ Antwerp, 27-29 November 2015, edited by Antoine De Moor, Cäcilia Fluck, and Petra Linscheid. Tielt, Belgium: Lannoo Publishers, 2017. ISBN 978 94 014 4399 9. pg. 174. ↩︎
  3. Based on direction of work and the increases. v. Bültzingslöwen, Regina, and Dr. E. Lehmann. “Nichtgewebte Textilien vor 1400 / IV. Teil.” Wirkerei- und Strickerei- Technik: Fachzeitschrift für die Fabrikationspraxis und Betriebstechnik der Wirkerei- und Strickerei-Industrie Coberg: August 1954, Nr. 8. Pgs. 42-43. ↩︎
  4. https://recherche.smb.museum/detail/1372869/strumpf Accessed February 13, 2026. ↩︎
  5. 18 cm Length. Köstner, Barbara. “Roman and Late Roman nalbinding socks from Egypt: Bringing ‘Egyptian fashion’ to the North” in Excavating, analysing, reconstructing Textiles of the 1st millennium AD from Egypt and neighbouring countries: Proceeding of the 9th conference of the research group ‘Textiles from the Nile Valley’ Antwerp, 27-29 November 2015, edited by Antoine De Moor, Cäcilia Fluck, and Petra Linscheid. Tielt, Belgium: Lannoo Publishers, 2017. ISBN 978 94 014 4399 9. pg. 193. 17 cm Length https://www.landesmuseum-stuttgart.de/sammlung/sammlung-online/dk-details?dk_object_id=38649 Accessed February 18, 2026 ↩︎
  6. https://recherche.smb.museum/detail/1372869/strumpf ↩︎
  7. https://www.landesmuseum-stuttgart.de/sammlung/sammlung-online/dk-details?dk_object_id=38649 Accessed February 18, 2026 ↩︎
  8. Köstner, Barbara. “Roman and Late Roman nalbinding socks from Egypt: Bringing ‘Egyptian fashion’ to the North” in Excavating, analysing, reconstructing Textiles of the 1st millennium AD from Egypt and neighbouring countries: Proceeding of the 9th conference of the research group ‘Textiles from the Nile Valley’ Antwerp, 27-29 November 2015, edited by Antoine De Moor, Cäcilia Fluck, and Petra Linscheid. Tielt, Belgium: Lannoo Publishers, 2017. ISBN 978 94 014 4399 9. pg. 193. ↩︎
  9. https://recherche.smb.museum/detail/1372869/strumpf ↩︎
  10. https://www.landesmuseum-stuttgart.de/sammlung/sammlung-online/dk-details?dk_object_id=38649 Accessed February 18, 2026 ↩︎
  11. https://recherche.smb.museum/detail/1372869/strumpf ↩︎
  12. Köstner, Barbara. “Roman and Late Roman nalbinding socks from Egypt: Bringing ‘Egyptian fashion’ to the North” in Excavating, analysing, reconstructing Textiles of the 1st millennium AD from Egypt and neighbouring countries: Proceeding of the 9th conference of the research group ‘Textiles from the Nile Valley’ Antwerp, 27-29 November 2015, edited by Antoine De Moor, Cäcilia Fluck, and Petra Linscheid. Tielt, Belgium: Lannoo Publishers, 2017. ISBN 978 94 014 4399 9. pg. 192. ↩︎
  13. https://www.landesmuseum-stuttgart.de/sammlung/sammlung-online/dk-details?dk_object_id=38649 Accessed February 18, 2026. Köstner, Barbara. “Roman and Late Roman nalbinding socks from Egypt: Bringing ‘Egyptian fashion’ to the North” in Excavating, analysing, reconstructing Textiles of the 1st millennium AD from Egypt and neighbouring countries: Proceeding of the 9th conference of the research group ‘Textiles from the Nile Valley’ Antwerp, 27-29 November 2015, edited by Antoine De Moor, Cäcilia Fluck, and Petra Linscheid. Tielt, Belgium: Lannoo Publishers, 2017. ISBN 978 94 014 4399 9. pg. 193. ↩︎
  14. Köstner, Barbara. “Roman and Late Roman nalbinding socks from Egypt: Bringing ‘Egyptian fashion’ to the North” in Excavating, analysing, reconstructing Textiles of the 1st millennium AD from Egypt and neighbouring countries: Proceeding of the 9th conference of the research group ‘Textiles from the Nile Valley’ Antwerp, 27-29 November 2015, edited by Antoine De Moor, Cäcilia Fluck, and Petra Linscheid. Tielt, Belgium: Lannoo Publishers, 2017. ISBN 978 94 014 4399 9. pg. 193. ↩︎
  15. Köstner, Barbara. “Roman and Late Roman nalbinding socks from Egypt: Bringing ‘Egyptian fashion’ to the North” in Excavating, analysing, reconstructing Textiles of the 1st millennium AD from Egypt and neighbouring countries: Proceeding of the 9th conference of the research group ‘Textiles from the Nile Valley’ Antwerp, 27-29 November 2015, edited by Antoine De Moor, Cäcilia Fluck, and Petra Linscheid. Tielt, Belgium: Lannoo Publishers, 2017. ISBN 978 94 014 4399 9. pg. 193. Note: Köstner incorrectly calls the stitch Tarim stitch. based on earlier publications that mistakenly thought the Tarim hat was worked in Cross-knit Looping when it is Simple Looping. ↩︎
  16. https://www.landesmuseum-stuttgart.de/sammlung/sammlung-online/dk-details?dk_object_id=38649 Accessed February 18, 2026 ↩︎
  17. Köstner, Barbara. “Roman and Late Roman nalbinding socks from Egypt: Bringing ‘Egyptian fashion’ to the North” in Excavating, analysing, reconstructing Textiles of the 1st millennium AD from Egypt and neighbouring countries: Proceeding of the 9th conference of the research group ‘Textiles from the Nile Valley’ Antwerp, 27-29 November 2015, edited by Antoine De Moor, Cäcilia Fluck, and Petra Linscheid. Tielt, Belgium: Lannoo Publishers, 2017. ISBN 978 94 014 4399 9. pg. 193. ↩︎

NOW: Bakongo Nkutu (Prestige Cape) – Af1853,0713.1

Continuing with another African Nalbound Object of the Week, this stunning nkutu (prestige cape) comes from mid-19th century Congo. While the tradition of net-like garments being worn by high ranking individuals is believed to have its roots in at least the 16th century, we currently only have evidence of this style of nkutu/kinzembe/zamba kya mfumu from the 19th century.1 There are quite a few examples in museums around the world; including several others in The British Museum.2

Nkutu (Prestige Cape) Af1853,0713.1 © The Trustees of the British Museum. Shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence.

Object: Bakongo Nkutu – Af1853,0713.1

Description: A beautiful prestige cape made from raffia palm fiber. This cape has openwork that forms several undulating chevrons. Close examination shows that the individual lengths of fiber were knotted to the previous as each new length was added to continue the nalbinding. There is a cut and bound slit in the middle for the head. The outer edge has raffia fringe knotted on. Length: 79 cm, Width: 125 cm3

Dated to: before 1853 CE4

Culture: Bakongo5

Find location: Congo6

Material: Raffia palm fiber7

Stitch(es) used: The museum catalog states it is an “Interlinked structure arranged in narrow bands with worked holes throughout.”8 The catalog also references a publication where it states the cape was made “using a form of interlinking (sprang).”9 Interlinking is a structural term, not a technique. Sprang can use interlinking (amongst other structures), but so can other techniques. In this case, the nalbinding stitch used does not just intralace once with the previous stitches in the same row as in many spiraled nalbinding stitches. Instead, this stitch intralaces and interlinks several times with each previous stitch before crossing itself to proceed to the next stitch.

The beautiful zoomable photographs in the The British Museum’s online catalog show that this cape was nalbound in the same stitch as that found in the Kongalese Prestige Cape that is in The Textile Museum that was February 13, 2024’s Nalbound Object of the Week: B1 UU/OO/UU/OOU as determined by Anne Marie Decker during her examination on 14 June 2023.

A section of the prestige cape zoomed in to show one single row with the individual loops highlighted by Anne Marie Decker in different colors in order to show the nalbinding stitch: B1 UU/OO/UU/OOU.
Base photo credit: © The Trustees of the British Museum. Shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence.
A section of the prestige cape zoomed in to show how the patterned holes are created in one single row by not interlinking with previous stitches. The individual loops highlighted by Anne Marie Decker in different colors in order to show the nalbinding stitch: B1 UU/OO/UU/OOU.
Base photo credit: © The Trustees of the British Museum. Shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence.
Two sections of the prestige cape zoomed in to show one single row with the individual loops highlighted by Anne Marie Decker in different colors in order to show the nalbinding stitch:
B1 UU/OO/UU/OOU.
Base photo credit: © The Trustees of the British Museum. Shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence.

Inventory number: Af1853,0713.1

Current location: The British Museum

Link to museum catalog or other data: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/E_Af1853-0713-1

Some sources in which more information can be found:

LaGamma, Alisa, ed. Kongo: Power and Majesty. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2016. ISBN 978-1-58839-575-7

Photographs (if permissions allow): There are several additional photos available in the British Museum’s online catalog entry for this cape.


An etching of a prestige cape being worn was published in Henry M. Stanely’s Africa inexplorada : el continente misterioso
on Pg.151 Source: Biblioteca de la Academia de Artillería / Biblioteca Virtual de Defensa
© The Trustees of the British Museum. Shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence.
© The Trustees of the British Museum. Shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence.
© The Trustees of the British Museum. Shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence.
© The Trustees of the British Museum. Shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence.

Please note that sharing to other venues will likely be intermittent. If you wish to receive these each week, please remember to follow the blog.
Patrons on Patreon receive early access previews, occasional extra details, and priority requests.

  1. The net-like garment found on the statue ostensibly of António Manuel ne Vunda, Kongalese ambassador to Rome in 1608 has been interpreted as an earlier version of these prestige capes. However, it does rather look more like the net-like garment worn by a priest of the ngufui sect in Sierra Leone as shown on page 154 of “Weaving in Africa: South of the Sahara”. ↩︎
  2. Additional prestige capes in the British Museum are: Af1954,+23.2039, Af1954,+23.2038, and Af1993,02.379. ↩︎
  3. https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/E_Af1853-0713-1 Accessed 2/9/2026 ↩︎
  4. 1853 was when the cape was donated to the British Museum. Collection date unknown. https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/E_Af1853-0713-1 Accessed 2/9/2026 ↩︎
  5. https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/E_Af1853-0713-1 Accessed 2/9/2026 ↩︎
  6. https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/E_Af1853-0713-1 Accessed 2/9/2026 ↩︎
  7. https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/E_Af1853-0713-1 Accessed 2/9/2026 ↩︎
  8. https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/E_Af1853-0713-1 Accessed 2/9/2026 ↩︎
  9. LaGamma, Alisa, ed. Kongo: Power and Majesty. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2016. ISBN 978-1-58839-575-7 p.108 fig.66
    (text by John K Thornton) ↩︎

NOW: Red hat with tassel – 9318

If you are in Berlin this week, you can catch the Nalbound Object of the Week on display in the Auf unbetretenen Wegen: Georg Schweinfurth und die Ägyptologie exhibition at the Neues Museum before it closes on the 8th of February 2026. Held in the collections of the Skulpturensammlung und Museum für Byzantinische Kunst, this hat was one of the first nalbound artifacts that I learned about when starting my explorations of nalbinding throughout the world.

Inv. 9318. Photo Credit: Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Skulpturensammlung und Museum für Byzantinische Kunst /CC BY-SA 4.0

Object: Red Hat with tassel – 9318

Description: A lovely red nalbound hat with a point extending to a multi-stranded tassel. Two thirds of the point are covered with blue and yellow cross-knit looping worked in a graphic pattern and supported underneath with a linen/cotton cloth. The red hat section is worked in a very open density for the gauge. It is smooth on the outside, but on the inside there are loose strands of the yarn fibers leading to an almost thrummed or brushed interior appearance. There are two fine yellow threads loosely sewn around the opening of the hat. Length x Width: 63 x 24 cm1 Height of the crown is 18.5 cm.2

It is interesting to note that the tassel is no longer attached to the hat as evidenced by examining the various photographs taken over time showing the hat in a different orientation to the tassel. The hat is currently sewn to its conservation backing with the side that was under the head currently showing. The photograph published with Bush’s article shows the front.

Dated to: Originally thought to be 9th to 10th century CE,3 it has since been radiocarbon dated to between the 11th and early 13th century CE. The museum catalog entry states it was radiocarbon dated to 1036–1215 CE.4 Fluck and Mälck’s article indicates the radiocarbon dating dates it between 1040 and 1220 CE.5

Find location: Arsinoë (Krokodilopolis)6 now in the city of Faiyum7

Material: The cap is made of a red wool yarn S-plied of two unspun threads; possibly mohair wool as it is fine and hairy. The tube section is blue and yellow silk threads, both S-plied of two unspun threads. Inside the tube is a linen warp cotton weft woven fabric. The tassel is bundled linen threads (S-spun) and green or yellow silk threads.8

Stitch(es) used:
Hat: looped needle netting Type IIIa (which is Hald’s designation of Mammen stitch). Confirmed to be F2 UOO/UUOO, Mammen stitch, by Anne Marie Decker based on photographs provided by the museum on March 12, 2019.
Tube: Fluck and Mälck state single needle technique.9 Hald calls it mesh stitch,10 but diagrams it correctly. These days we call it Z-crossed Cross-knit Looping (F1B1 O) which has been confirmed by Anne Marie Decker based on photographs provided by the museum on March 12, 2019.

Inventory number: 9318

Current location: in the collections of the Skulpturensammlung und Museum für Byzantinische Kunst but on display in the Neues Museum during the Auf unbetretenen Wegen: Georg Schweinfurth und die Ägyptologie exhibition May 23, 2025 to February 8, 2026.

Link to museum catalog or other data: https://id.smb.museum/object/2016749/m%C3%BCtze

Some sources in which more information can be found:

Bush, Nancy; ‘Nålbinding – From the Iron Age to Today’ in Piecework Vol. IX N. 3, May / June 2001; Interweave Press, 2001; pgs. 28-32.

Claßen-Büttner, Ulrike. Nalbinding – What in the World Is That? History and Technique of an Almost Forgotten Handicraft. Norderstedt: Books on Demand, 2015. ISBN 978-3-7347-7905-3.

Fluck, Cäcilia, and Kathrin Mälck. “Radiocarbon analysed textiles in the Skulpturensammlung und Museum für Byzantinische Kunst, Berlin” in Methods of dating ancient textiles of the 1st millennium AD from Egypt and neighbouring countries : proceedings of the 4th meeting of the study group ‘Textiles from the Nile Valley’, Antwerp, 16-17 April 2005, edited by Antoine De Moor and Cäcilia Fluck, 150-165. Tielt (Belgium): Lannoo Publishers, 2007. ISBN 9789020970982.

Hald, Margrethe. Ancient Danish Textiles from Bogs And Burials: A Comparative Study of Costume and Iron Age Textiles. Publications of The National Museum of Denmark; Archaeological Historical Series XXI. Translated by Jean Olsen. Copenhagen: Fyens Stiftsbogtrykkeri, Copenhagen, 1980. ISBN 87-480-0312-3. pg. 308, fig. 355 and pg. 309.

Schrenk, Sabine, ed. Textiles in Situ: Their Find Spots in Egypt and Neighbouring Countries in the First Millenium CE. Riggisberg: Abegg-Stiftung, 2006. ISBN 3-905014-29-7

Photographs:

Inv. 9318.
Photo Credit: Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Skulpturensammlung und Museum für Byzantinische Kunst /CC BY-SA 4.0
Detail of the cross-knit looping tube on Inv. 9318.
Photo Credit: Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Skulpturensammlung und Museum für Byzantinische Kunst /CC BY-SA 4.0
This photo was taken before the most recent conservation and mounting and thus shows the side that would have been towards the front. Bush, Nancy; ‘Nålbinding – From the Iron Age to Today’ in Piecework Vol. IX N. 3, May / June 2001; Interweave Press, 2001; pg. 28. Photograph courtesy of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin-Preußischer Kulturbesitz,
Museum für Spätantike und Byzantinische Kunst, Berlin, Germany.
Photograph by A. Voigt.

Please note that sharing to other venues will likely be intermittent. If you wish to receive these each week, please remember to follow the blog.
Patrons on Patreon receive early access previews, occasional extra details, and priority requests.

  1. https://id.smb.museum/object/2016749/m%C3%BCtze Accessed 2/2/2026. Hald states the circumference is 48 cm which corresponds to the width of the hat when flat as measured in the museum catalog entry. Petra Linscheid, 2018, Object Description in the museum catalog says the circumference is 47.5 cm. ↩︎
  2. Petra Linscheid, 2018, Object Description at https://id.smb.museum/object/2016749/m%C3%BCtze Accessed 2/2/2026. Hald states the crown is 17 cm. Her measurements would have been taken prior to the most recent conservation and mounting. ↩︎
  3. Hald, Margrethe. Ancient Danish Textiles from Bogs And Burials: A Comparative Study of Costume and Iron Age Textiles. Publications of The National Museum of Denmark; Archaeological Historical Series XXI. Translated by Jean Olsen. Copenhagen: Fyens Stiftsbogtrykkeri, Copenhagen, 1980. ISBN 87-480-0312-3. pg. 308, fig. 355 and pg. 309. ↩︎
  4. https://id.smb.museum/object/2016749/m%C3%BCtze Accessed 2/2/2026 ↩︎
  5. Fluck, Cäcilia, and Kathrin Mälck. “Radiocarbon analysed textiles in the Skulpturensammlung und Museum für Byzantinische Kunst, Berlin” in Methods of dating ancient textiles of the 1st millennium AD from Egypt and neighbouring countries : proceedings of the 4th meeting of the study group ‘Textiles from the Nile Valley’, Antwerp, 16-17 April 2005, edited by Antoine De Moor and Cäcilia Fluck, 150-165. Tielt (Belgium): Lannoo Publishers, 2007. ISBN 9789020970982. pg. 158. ↩︎
  6. https://id.smb.museum/object/2016749/m%C3%BCtze Accessed 2/2/2026. Hald had erroneously listed it as found in Antinoupolis and that was repeated in Bush’s article. This was corrected in Cäcilia Fluck and Kathrin Mälck’s article “Radiocarbon analysed textiles in the Skulpturensammlung und Museum für Byzantinische Kunst, Berlin” ↩︎
  7. Pleiades is a gazetteer of ancient places that is very useful for locating find locations that may only be recorded under the ancient location name. R. Müller Wollermann, Brady Kiesling, Sean Gillies, Jen Thum, Jeffrey Becker, H. Kopp, Herbert Verreth, B. Siewert-Mayer, Mark Depauw, R. Talbert, Johan Åhlfeldt, Adam Prins, W. Röllig, Tom Elliott, DARMC, Francis Deblauwe, and Eric Kansa, ‘Krokodilopolis/Ptolemais Euergetis: a Pleiades place resource’, Pleiades: A Gazetteer of Past Places, 2025 <https://pleiades.stoa.org/places/736948> [accessed: 03 February 2026] ↩︎
  8. Fluck, Cäcilia, and Kathrin Mälck. “Radiocarbon analysed textiles in the Skulpturensammlung und Museum für Byzantinische Kunst, Berlin” in Methods of dating ancient textiles of the 1st millennium AD from Egypt and neighbouring countries : proceedings of the 4th meeting of the study group ‘Textiles from the Nile Valley’, Antwerp, 16-17 April 2005, edited by Antoine De Moor and Cäcilia Fluck, 150-165. Tielt (Belgium): Lannoo Publishers, 2007. ISBN 9789020970982. pg. 158. Hald, and thus Bush’s article, stated the hat itself was also silk, not just the tube. That has since been corrected in the more recent publications. ↩︎
  9. Fluck, Cäcilia, and Kathrin Mälck. “Radiocarbon analysed textiles in the Skulpturensammlung und Museum für Byzantinische Kunst, Berlin” in Methods of dating ancient textiles of the 1st millennium AD from Egypt and neighbouring countries : proceedings of the 4th meeting of the study group ‘Textiles from the Nile Valley’, Antwerp, 16-17 April 2005, edited by Antoine De Moor and Cäcilia Fluck, 150-165. Tielt (Belgium): Lannoo Publishers, 2007. ISBN 9789020970982. ↩︎
  10. Hald, Margrethe. Ancient Danish Textiles from Bogs And Burials: A Comparative Study of Costume and Iron Age Textiles. Publications of The National Museum of Denmark; Archaeological Historical Series XXI. Translated by Jean Olsen. Copenhagen: Fyens Stiftsbogtrykkeri, Copenhagen, 1980. ISBN 87-480-0312-3. pgs. 284 and 309. ↩︎

NOW: Toy Viscachas – 46-77-30/7651B

For this week’s Nalbound Object of the Week we have another piece of truly figural work found in the Peruvian nalbound corpus. These are one of my favorites, because viscachas are sooo cute! (Once again, I’ve included a picture of a live viscacha below for those of us less familiar with what exactly one looks like.)

Effigy, viscachas, looped. Object number: 46-77-30/7651B
Courtesy of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and
Ethnology, Harvard University. https://peabody.harvard.edu/ Request reproduction rights from https://peabody.harvard.edu/rights-and-reproductions

Object: Viscachas effigy

Description: Worked in yellow and dark brown yarn around a solid core, the figure includes the pointed ears, nose, and long tail of a viscacha. Overall: 7 x 2.1 x 3.2 cm (2 3/4 x 13/16 x 1 1/4 in.)1

Dated to: Early Intermediate period
Nazca2

Find location: Nazca, Peru3

Material: camelid4

Stitch(es) used: (Simple) Looping.5

Object number: 46-77-30/7651B

Current location: Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, Harvard University

Link to museum catalog or other data: https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/100406?ctx=4b5a04a42bb2e1beb986339955f300990aa07639&idx=61

Pictures:

A Viscacha, posted by the American Museum of Natural History
Photo: andrespuiggros, CC-BY-NC 4.0, iNaturalist

Please note that sharing to other venues will likely be intermittent. If you wish to receive these each week, please remember to follow the blog.
Patrons on Patreon receive early access previews, occasional extra details, and priority requests.

  1. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/100406?ctx=4b5a04a42bb2e1beb986339955f300990aa07639&idx=61 ↩︎
  2. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/100406?ctx=4b5a04a42bb2e1beb986339955f300990aa07639&idx=61. Estimated to 200 BCE to 600 CE as per https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periodization_of_pre-Columbian_Peru ↩︎
  3. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/100406?ctx=4b5a04a42bb2e1beb986339955f300990aa07639&idx=61 ↩︎
  4. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/100406?ctx=4b5a04a42bb2e1beb986339955f300990aa07639&idx=61 ↩︎
  5. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/100406?ctx=4b5a04a42bb2e1beb986339955f300990aa07639&idx=61 ↩︎

NOW: Mitten with embroidered cuff – D7403b

While I’ve mentioned this Nalbound Object of the Week in an earlier post, link here, I did not include the find data. So this week we take a closer look at the 17th century mitten found in the ramparts of the city of Copenhagen. Like many mittens and socks of this time, it has some tar stains. If you look very closely, there is some two toned embroidery around the cuff edge. One thread of which still retains some reddish coloring (I’ve included a detail photo below).

Mitten found in Mikkel Bryggersgade, D7403b.
Photo credit: Anne Marie Decker

Object: Mitten with an embroidered cuff – D7403b

Description: A mitten for the right hand with some tar stains and two colored embroidery around the cuff worked in opposing whip stitches that create small triangles.1

Dated to: 1500 – 1650 CE2

Find location (Continent, current country, original culture): Mikkel Bryggers Gade in association with Copenhagen’s ramparts.3

Material: Wool4

Stitch(es) used: Hald stated that 3 of the 4 mittens found in the ramparts of Copenhagen were Type IIa (which is UO/UOO) with the 4th too felted to tell and includes photos of two of which this mitten is one. Eskelund Rüssel catalogs this mitten as UOOO/UUUOO F15 which I am not seeing in the mitten. Further examination will be required.

Inventory number: D7403b

Current location: National Museum of Denmark

Link to museum catalog or other data: https://samlinger.natmus.dk/dmr/object/292074

Some sources in which more information can be found:

Eskelund Rüssel, Elizabeth. Nålebinding: En forhistorisk håndarbejdsteknik i kronologisk perspektiv. Arkæologisk Tema 1, Vejleder: Henriette Lyngstrøm, Forhistorisk Arkæologi ved Københavns Universitet, May 24, 2011.

Hald, Margrethe. Ancient Danish Textiles from Bogs And Burials: A Comparative Study of Costume and Iron Age Textiles. Publications of The National Museum of Denmark; Archaeological Historical Series XXI. Translated by Jean Olsen. Copenhagen: Fyens Stiftsbogtrykkeri, Copenhagen, 1980. image p. 303. ISBN 87-480-0312-3.

Does anyone have a copy of this publication?
Vestergård Pedersen 2003. Nålebinding. Center for Historisk Teknologi. Middelaldercenteret Nykøbing F. S. 1 – 16.

Photographs:

Museum information for the display including D7403b. Photo credit: Anne Marie Decker
Museum legend for the display including D7403b. Photo credit: Anne Marie Decker
Closeup of the embroidered cuff of D7403b. Photo credit: Anne Marie Decker

Please note that sharing to other venues will likely be intermittent. If you wish to receive these each week, please remember to follow the blog.
Patrons on Patreon receive early access previews, occasional extra details, and priority requests.

  1. Personal viewing while on display, August 27, 2019. ↩︎
  2. Eskelund Rüssel, Elizabeth. Nålebinding: En forhistorisk håndarbejdsteknik i kronologisk perspektiv. Arkæologisk Tema 1, Vejleder: Henriette Lyngstrøm, Forhistorisk Arkæologi ved Københavns Universitet, May 24, 2011. p. 11, Bilag 3 #16. https://vikingerivestfold.no/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Nalebinding_en_forhistorisk_handarbejdst.pdf ↩︎
  3. Eskelund Rüssel, Elizabeth. Nålebinding: En forhistorisk håndarbejdsteknik i kronologisk perspektiv. Arkæologisk Tema 1, Vejleder: Henriette Lyngstrøm, Forhistorisk Arkæologi ved Københavns Universitet, May 24, 2011. Bilag 3 #16. https://vikingerivestfold.no/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Nalebinding_en_forhistorisk_handarbejdst.pdf ↩︎
  4. https://samlinger.natmus.dk/dmr/object/292074 Accessed 1/18/2026. ↩︎
  5. Eskelund Rüssel, Elizabeth. Nålebinding: En forhistorisk håndarbejdsteknik i kronologisk perspektiv. Arkæologisk Tema 1, Vejleder: Henriette Lyngstrøm, Forhistorisk Arkæologi ved Københavns Universitet, May 24, 2011. p. 11, Bilag 3 #16. https://vikingerivestfold.no/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Nalebinding_en_forhistorisk_handarbejdst.pdf cites Vestergård Pedersen 2003. Nålebinding. Center for Historisk Teknologi. Middelaldercenteret Nykøbing F. S. 1 – 16. for information regarding the mitten, but not stitch identification specifically. ↩︎

NOW: Diamond hat with volute tree straps – 46-77-30/9440

There is a whole range of Peruvian hats with these integral ear-flap straps as seen in this week’s Nalbound Object of the Week. And yet, this one is particularly striking with its volute shaped trees. The image is unfortunately not helpful with clarifying what colors are used. The object description says dark brown and tan, but the inventory description says blue and gold. Both would be striking, but is there anyone near the Peabody that can answer?

Cap, looped. Object number: 46-77-30/9440
Courtesy of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and
Ethnology, Harvard University. https://peabody.harvard.edu/ Request reproduction rights from https://peabody.harvard.edu/rights-and-reproductions

Object: Cap, looped

Description: A dark brown and tan (or blue and gold) diamond lattice patterned hat with crosses in the diamonds and a volute wavy tree on the ear-flaps that extend from the top of the hat down to long fringes. Overall: 52 x 17.5 x 6.5 cm (20 1/2 x 6 7/8 x 2 9/16 in.)1

Dated to: Early Intermediate Period?2

Find location: Loma?, Peru3

Material: camelid4

Stitch(es) used: Looped.5 Z-crossed Cross-knit Looping (as determined by Anne Marie Decker based on the photograph)

Object number: 46-77-30/9440

Current location: Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, Harvard University

Link to museum catalog or other data: https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/81676?ctx=4b5a04a42bb2e1beb986339955f300990aa07639&idx=66

Please note that sharing to other venues will likely be intermittent. If you wish to receive these each week, please remember to follow the blog.
Patrons on Patreon receive early access previews, occasional extra details, and priority requests.

  1. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/81676?ctx=4b5a04a42bb2e1beb986339955f300990aa07639&idx=66 ↩︎
  2. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/81676?ctx=4b5a04a42bb2e1beb986339955f300990aa07639&idx=66 Estimated to 200 BCE to 600 CE as per https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periodization_of_pre-Columbian_Peru ↩︎
  3. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/81676?ctx=4b5a04a42bb2e1beb986339955f300990aa07639&idx=66 ↩︎
  4. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/81676?ctx=4b5a04a42bb2e1beb986339955f300990aa07639&idx=66 ↩︎
  5. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/81676?ctx=4b5a04a42bb2e1beb986339955f300990aa07639&idx=66 ↩︎

NOW: Loop & Twist net – 75-20-30/8561

The Nalbound Object of the Week this week is a small fragment of vegetal fiber found in Chile. The fragment has two types of Loop & Twist, both Z-crossed.

Net, looped, fragment. Object number: 75-20-30/8561
Courtesy of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and
Ethnology, Harvard University. https://peabody.harvard.edu/ Request reproduction rights from https://peabody.harvard.edu/rights-and-reproductions

Object: Net, looped, fragment

Description: A small fragment of loop & twist net with both single and quadruple twist looping. Overall: 12 x 8 cm (4 3/4 x 3 1/8 in.)1

Dated to: none provided

Find location: Pisagua, Chile2

Material: vegetal fiber3

Stitch(es) used: double twist looping. (z-2s).4

Object number: 75-20-30/8561

Current location: Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, Harvard University

Link to museum catalog or other data: https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/81168?ctx=3895f836dffa87d819a31a9db21ff30320b3e15c&idx=86

Please note that sharing to other venues will likely be intermittent. If you wish to receive these each week, please remember to follow the blog.
Patrons on Patreon receive early access previews, occasional extra details, and priority requests.

  1. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/81168?ctx=3895f836dffa87d819a31a9db21ff30320b3e15c&idx=86 ↩︎
  2. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/81168?ctx=3895f836dffa87d819a31a9db21ff30320b3e15c&idx=86 ↩︎
  3. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/81168?ctx=3895f836dffa87d819a31a9db21ff30320b3e15c&idx=86 ↩︎
  4. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/81168?ctx=3895f836dffa87d819a31a9db21ff30320b3e15c&idx=86 ↩︎

NOW: Viscachas figural effigy – 46-77-30/7651C

I hope everyone’s winter holiday season is going well and that the new year be all you need it to be. For this week’s Nalbound Object of the Week we got a viscacha figure/effigy. I love these because viscachas are sooo cute! (I’ve included a picture of a live viscacha below for those of us less familiar with what exactly one looks like.)

Effigy, viscachas, looped. Object number: 46-77-30/7651C
Courtesy of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and
Ethnology, Harvard University. https://peabody.harvard.edu/ Request reproduction rights from https://peabody.harvard.edu/rights-and-reproductions

Object: Viscachas effigy

Description: Worked in yellow and dark brown yarn, the figure includes the pointed ears, nose, and long tail of a viscacha. Overall: 7.5 x 1 x 1.7 cm (2 15/16 x 3/8 x 11/16 in.)1

Dated to: Early Intermediate period
Nazca2

Find location: Nazca, Peru3

Material: camelid4

Stitch(es) used: Looping.5 S-crossed and Z-crossed Simple Looping depending on which part of the viscacha (as determined by Anne Marie Decker based on the photograph)

Object number: 46-77-30/7651C

Current location: Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, Harvard University

Link to museum catalog or other data: https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/100405?ctx=4b5a04a42bb2e1beb986339955f300990aa07639&idx=62

Pictures:

A vizcacha (Lagidium viscacia) near Rio Grande, in the Atacama desert, Chile.
Photo: Alexandre Buisse (Nattfodd), CC BY-SA 3.0

Please note that sharing to other venues will likely be intermittent. If you wish to receive these each week, please remember to follow the blog.
Patrons on Patreon receive early access previews, occasional extra details, and priority requests.

  1. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/100405?ctx=4b5a04a42bb2e1beb986339955f300990aa07639&idx=62 ↩︎
  2. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/100405?ctx=4b5a04a42bb2e1beb986339955f300990aa07639&idx=62. Estimated to 200 BCE to 600 CE as per https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periodization_of_pre-Columbian_Peru ↩︎
  3. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/100405?ctx=4b5a04a42bb2e1beb986339955f300990aa07639&idx=62 ↩︎
  4. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/100405?ctx=4b5a04a42bb2e1beb986339955f300990aa07639&idx=62 ↩︎
  5. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/100405?ctx=4b5a04a42bb2e1beb986339955f300990aa07639&idx=62 ↩︎

NOW: Child’s sock with orange, blue and yellow stripes – III 15474

For a person that has spent a lot of time examining stockings, this is an excellent time of the year. The Museum der Kulturen Basel has the largest collection of Egyptian nalbinding1 and they just recently put their entire collection online. So this week’s Nalbound Object of the Week is one of my favorite of the children’s socks.

©Museum der Kulturen Basel CC BY 4.0

Object: Child’s sock with orange, blue and yellow stripes – III 15474

Description: The sock is striped with blue, orange, and yellow stripes and a natural (now cream) base that shows mostly in the wedge heel. It has a relatively short, undifferentiated, toe box with a rather large wedge heel. The ankle is damaged and its true height unknown. Length 17 cm2

Dated to: 4th century ?3 CE (This is a very old art historical based dating. There has been no scientific dating of compound Egyptian nalbound socks. More recent excavations are finding compound nalbound socks in 11th century layers. I would dearly love to have a few of these radiocarbon dated as exactly when compound nalbinding began cannot be determined without solid dating.)

Culture: Coptic4

Find location: Egypt5

Material: Wool6

Stitch(es) used: F2 UOO/UUOO,7 Mammen

Inventory number: III 154748

Current location: Museum der Kulturen Basel, Switzerland

Link to museum catalog or other data: The Museum der Kulturen database does not have permalinks. Search for the Inventory number in https://onlinecollection.mkb.ch/#/query/f901c9da-5de6-4bea-819e-39e4464051be

Some sources in which more information can be found:

Böttcher, Gudrun. “Koptische Nadelbindungstextilien im Museum der Kulturen Basel” in Experimentelle Archäologie in Europa: Bilanz 2004 Heft 3. edited by Corinna Endlich. Oldenburg: Isensee Verlag, 2004: 211-214. ISBN 3-89995-204-9.

Please note that sharing to other venues will likely be intermittent. If you wish to receive these each week, please remember to follow the blog.
Patrons on Patreon receive early access previews, occasional extra details, and priority requests.

  1. That we know of so far because I am certain there are more socks out there in boxes and the backs of drawers that haven’t been opened in a century. ↩︎
  2. Museum der Kulturen Basel dataset published under the license CC BY 4.0 https://onlinecollection.mkb.ch/#/query/f901c9da-5de6-4bea-819e-39e4464051be ↩︎
  3. Museum der Kulturen Basel dataset published under the license CC BY 4.0 https://onlinecollection.mkb.ch/#/query/f901c9da-5de6-4bea-819e-39e4464051be ↩︎
  4. Museum der Kulturen Basel dataset published under the license CC BY 4.0 https://onlinecollection.mkb.ch/#/query/f901c9da-5de6-4bea-819e-39e4464051be ↩︎
  5. Museum der Kulturen Basel dataset published under the license CC BY 4.0 https://onlinecollection.mkb.ch/#/query/f901c9da-5de6-4bea-819e-39e4464051be ↩︎
  6. Museum der Kulturen Basel dataset published under the license CC BY 4.0 https://onlinecollection.mkb.ch/#/query/f901c9da-5de6-4bea-819e-39e4464051be ↩︎
  7. Böttcher writes it as Stitch Type: III and Stitch Variant: F(L) 2 UOO/UUOO. Böttcher, Gudrun. “Koptische Nadelbindungstextilien im Museum der Kulturen Basel” in Experimentelle Archäologie in Europa: Bilanz 2004 Heft 3. edited by Corinna Endlich. Oldenburg: Isensee Verlag, 2004: 211-214. ISBN 3-89995-204-9. pg 213. ↩︎
  8. Museum der Kulturen Basel dataset published under the license CC BY 4.0 https://onlinecollection.mkb.ch/#/query/f901c9da-5de6-4bea-819e-39e4464051be ↩︎

NOW: Chevron patterned hat – 46-77-30/10427

This week’s Nalbound Object of the Week is a striking Peruvian hat worked in Cross-knit Looping in a distinctive chevron pattern. While there are quite a few hats found in Peru, both in Simple Looping and in Cross-knit Looping, this is the first I’ve come across with this Chevron patterning.

Cap, looped, circular. Object number: 46-77-30/10427
Courtesy of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University. https://peabody.harvard.edu/
Request reproduction rights from https://peabody.harvard.edu/rights-and-reproductions

Object: Chevron patterned hat

Description: A dark brown and tan chevron patterned hat broken into 4 quarters with alternating chevrons. Overall: 16 x 17 cm (6 5/16 x 6 11/16 in.)1

Dated to: Chancay? culture2

Find location: Zapallan, Peru3

Material: camelid4

Stitch(es) used: Z-crossed5 Cross-knit Looping6

Object number: 46-77-30/10427

Current location: Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, Harvard University

Link to museum catalog or other data: https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/90463?ctx=3895f836dffa87d819a31a9db21ff30320b3e15c&idx=72

Please note that sharing to other venues will likely be intermittent. If you wish to receive these each week, please remember to follow the blog.
Patrons on Patreon receive early access previews, occasional extra details, and priority requests.

  1. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/90463?ctx=3895f836dffa87d819a31a9db21ff30320b3e15c&idx=72 ↩︎
  2. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/90463?ctx=3895f836dffa87d819a31a9db21ff30320b3e15c&idx=72. Chancey culture would put this hat in the Late Intermediate Period, 1000 CE – 1476 CE, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periodization_of_pre-Columbian_Peru ↩︎
  3. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/90463?ctx=3895f836dffa87d819a31a9db21ff30320b3e15c&idx=72 ↩︎
  4. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/90463?ctx=3895f836dffa87d819a31a9db21ff30320b3e15c&idx=72 ↩︎
  5. As determined from the photograph by Anne Marie Decker ↩︎
  6. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/90463?ctx=3895f836dffa87d819a31a9db21ff30320b3e15c&idx=72 ↩︎