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LOT 0415
Egyptian Coptic Textile Fragment Group
CIRCA 4TH-8TH CENTURY A.D.
3 3/8 - 8 7/8 in. (42 grams total including package, 8.5-22.5 cm).
Comprising: a decorative tunic stripe (clavus) in purple wool over coarse linen, S-twist tapestry, divided in three sections embroidered with geometric ornaments, borders meander decorated; an orbiculus in white and black wool, S-twist tapestry, embroidered with stylised animals; fragment of fabric in red, yellow, blue and green wool, with vegetal patterns; fragments of a segmentum, in white and black wool, S-twist tapestry, embroidered with stylised figures. [3, No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired 1970s-1996.
Property of a North American collector.
London collection, 2016.
Cf. Gayet, M. Al., Le Costume en Egypte, du IIIe au XIIIe Siecle, Paris, 1900, no. 4, pp.86-87, for similar style of clavi; Various, Tissus d’Egypte temoins du monde arabe, VIIIe-XVe siècles, Collection Bouvier, Paris, 1994.
FootnotesAmong the many fragments of wool tunics, several long strips that match to form nearly full-length central pectoral clavi can be found. They are patterned with a profusion of small figures or interlaced abstract designs, birds, plants and animals with a contrasting border filled with geometric motifs.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
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Egyptian Coptic Textile Fragment Group
Circa 4th-5th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £26
Comprising: an orbiculus in coarse linen and brown wool, S torsion, embroidered with a stylised figure; a fragment of a second orbiculus in red, green, white and black wool, crenellated borders. 11 grams total including package, 47-67 mm
Acquired 1970s-1996. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016.
The iconography of this fragment is called "Nilotic," as it depicts plant and human elements linked to life on the Nile River. These images are recurrent on Coptic textiles. Weavers created patterns that allowed them to reproduce these motifs on any type of fabric (curtains, tassels, clothing). -
Egyptian Coptic Textile Fragment Group
5th-6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £156
Comprising: a decorative tunic stripe (clavus) ending with circular decorations (orbiculus), in dark brown wool, S-twist tapestry, borders meander decorated; two orbiculi in white and black wool over yellow linen, S-twist tapestry, embroidered with geometric motifs. 61 grams total including package, 6-23 cm
Acquired 1970s-1996. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016. -
Egyptian Bronze Osiris Statuette
Late-Ptolemaic Period, circa 664-30 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,300
Modelled in the round as a characteristically mummiform standing figure with arms crossed and holding the crook and flail regalia, wearing the hedjet crown and uraeus. 136 grams, 13.5 cm
From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s.
Osiris is a deity associated with death and fertility, widely acknowledged as the supreme god of rebirth. Although he was once a mortal ruler, as a deity, his domain was the Underworld. Abydos served as the primary cult site of Osiris’s worship, where a renowned annual celebration in his honour took place.
