Interlace,
a regular pattern formed of two or more interwoven or plaited bands, usually as a filler or border ornament. In contrast with the technical precision achieved through the use of compass and ruler in many Latin examples, Byz. versions of interlace, particularly in MSS, seem to have been composed freehand. Again unlike Latin interlace, Byz. examples are usually symmetrically constructed along an axis. In this they also differ from the arabesque, an overall decorative pattern based on stylized leaf- and scrollwork developed by the Arabs that appears in Byz. by the 10th C. As a twisted rope pattern or in the form of large and usually regular medallions alternating with smaller circles, a simple interlace formed of two strands was ubiquitous throughout the Byz. period; multiple band interlace also appears, particularly in works produced in or influenced by Italy. Interlace was esp. popular in MSS, textiles, and metalwork.... ...
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