This article explores the use and adaptation of the iconographic motif of the waiting servant, known primarily from late Roman wall paintings, mosaics, and other media, within the sphere of Late Antique furnishing textiles. Taking as a case study a fifth- to sixth-century CE hanging in the Art Institute of Chicago’s collection, the first section argues that the addition of elaborate, multihued architectural settings and floral motifs in this hanging and several comparable examples built upon the existing waiting-servant iconography offer an enhanced message of “the good life” within the household. Such compositional elements were rooted in earlier Greek and Roman artistic traditions, namely architectural polychromy and the visual interplay between artifice and reality. However, they also exemplify the Late Antique “jeweled style”, an aesthetic characterized by dazzling visual and polychromatic effects and an interest in artistic mimicry of other media. Striking visual parallels between the waiting-servant hangings and contemporary painted interiors suggest that textiles were considered on par with permanent media and operated in a system of cross-media artistic exchange. The article concludes with a consideration of the materiality of the Chicago hanging and its potential functions within a Late Antique residence, exploring how its portability as a woven object encouraged its flexible use within the home and allowed it to convey and even amplify particular messages through its juxtaposition with other objects, architecture, or people.

中文翻译：

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芝加哥晚期古董纺织品中的侍从主题：图像学、视觉和物质性

本文探讨了侍仆的肖像图案的使用和改编，主要来自晚期罗马壁画、马赛克和其他媒体，在晚期古董家具纺织品领域内。以芝加哥艺术学院收藏的 5 至 6 世纪 CE 挂件为例，第一部分认为，在这件挂件中添加了精致的、多色的建筑设置和花卉图案，并在现有等待的基础上建立了几个可比较的例子-仆人肖像在家庭中提供了“美好生活”的增强信息。这种构图元素植根于早期的希腊和罗马艺术传统，即建筑的多色性以及技巧与现实之间的视觉相互作用。然而，它们也体现了晚期古董“珠宝风格”，一种以令人眼花缭乱的视觉和多色效果为特征的美学，并对其他媒体的艺术模仿感兴趣。侍仆挂饰和当代彩绘内饰之间的惊人视觉相似性表明，纺织品被认为与永久性媒体相提并论，并在跨媒体艺术交流系统中运作。文章最后考虑了芝加哥悬挂物的重要性及其在晚期古董住宅中的潜在功能，探讨了它作为编织物的便携性如何鼓励其在家中灵活使用，并使其能够通过其传达甚至放大特定信息与其他物体、建筑或人并列。侍仆挂饰和当代彩绘内饰之间的惊人视觉相似性表明，纺织品被认为与永久性媒体相提并论，并在跨媒体艺术交流系统中运作。文章最后考虑了芝加哥悬挂物的重要性及其在晚期古董住宅中的潜在功能，探讨了它作为编织物的便携性如何鼓励其在家中灵活使用，并使其能够通过其传达甚至放大特定信息与其他物体、建筑或人并列。侍仆挂饰和当代彩绘内饰之间的惊人视觉相似性表明，纺织品被认为与永久性媒体相提并论，并在跨媒体艺术交流系统中运作。文章最后考虑了芝加哥悬挂物的重要性及其在晚期古董住宅中的潜在功能，探讨了它作为编织物的便携性如何鼓励其在家中灵活使用，并使其能够通过其传达甚至放大特定信息与其他物体、建筑或人并列。