Dress to Impress: Reconstructions of Medieval Robes from Nubia

A live presentation of recreated costumes of Nubian kings, royal mothers, and bishops based on wall paintings from the cathedral of Faras.

A team consisting of archaeologists from the University of Warsaw and designers from the School of Form at SWPS University undertook to reconstruct the costumes of Nubian dignitaries based on paintings from Faras from the collections of the National Museum in Warsaw and the Sudanese National Museum in Khartoum. This unique example of transdisciplinary academic collaboration generates new knowledge and popularises it, showing that artefacts and phenomena of the past can have a contemporary face.

The costumes, meticulously hand-sewn, embroidered, and adorned with printed patterns, provide a tangible link to the past. They offer a glimpse into the physicality of the Nubian dignitaries and shed light on the evolving aesthetics and materiality of their attire. More importantly, these costumes serve as a visual narrative of the Nubian kingdom’s cultural evolution, blending Byzantine infl uences from the Christianisation era with elements of native culture and the exotic allure of the Muslim East.

The glamorous clothing in Faras’s wall paintings is exquisite and reveals its own symbolism. Initially inspired by the courtly costume of Byzantium, over the centuries, its décor has blended African colours and motifs with Arabic influences to create a unique style of dress. Five robes for royal mothers, kings, and Bishop Marianos have been painstakingly reconstructed from paintings in Faras Cathedral and archaeological material.

The final three-dimensional results were documented through a photography project where Sudanese people, representing modern communities living in the Netherlands and Germany, modelled the attire at the Pastoor van Ars Church in The Hague, with artistic concept and styling by Paulina Matusiak and photography by Eddy Wenting. The project, part of the broader “Dress to Impress” initiative, stands as a prime example of howtransdisciplinary academic collaboration can generateand popularise new knowledge. After an initial presentation at the Louvre in Paris in 2024, they were exhibited in the Bode Museum in 2025, alongside selected textiles from the Museum of Byzantine Art collection.

Chair

Dr Lars Laamann

Organiser

Centre of World Christianity (SOAS), University of Warsaw, SWPS University.