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LOT 0481
Egyptian Coptic Textile Fragment Group
CIRCA 5TH-6TH CENTURY A.D.
7 1/2 - 13 in. (41 grams total including package, 19-33 cm).
Comprising a large segmentum in linen and wool, with a hare and nereid, wool purple on linen, S torsion, borders with dentellid decoration; two other segmenta in wool and linen, part of clavi, with floral and vegetal embroidery. [2, No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired 1970s-1996.
Property of a North American collector.
London collection, 2016.
Cf. Del Francia Barocas, L., Museo dell'Alto Medioevo, Roma, I materiali Copti, p.98, for similar textiles.
FootnotesThe theme of rabbits or hares, in association with other characters and animals of the Dionysian thiasos (here a nereid), has notable parallels. Such representations are linked to narratives of the Dionysian cycle.
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 Stone Amulet Collection
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
Including scarab, pedestal-base and other types. 18 grams total, 14-21 mm
with Archaeologia, Switzerland, before 1983. Ex private North American collection. London private collection, 2016. -
Very Large Egyptian Expedition Lithograph of a Plan of Thebes
Early 19th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £169
Proof etching on laid paper of plate 77 from Description de l'Égypte : ou, Recueil des observations et des recherches qui ont été faites en Égypte pendant l'expédition de l'armée française. entitled Thèbes. Bybân el-Molouk [Bîbân al-Mulûk]. Plan topographique de l'extrémité de la Vallée des Tombeaux des Rois. 532 grams, 102.5 x 69 cm
From the collection of a North American priest. Acquired between 1981-1996. Property of a North American collector.
Produced between February 1802 and 1830 on the orders of Napoleon Bonaparte; published between 1809 and 1828. Just 1,000 copies were distributed to various institutions, printed on laid paper with an 'Égypte ancienne et moderne' watermark. The book is subtitled Recueil des observations et des recherches qui ont été faites en Égypte pendant l’expédition de l’Armée française, publié par les ordres de Sa Majesté l’Empereur Napoléon le Grand (Gathering of observations and discoveries which were made in Egypt during the expedition of the French army, published on the orders of His Majesty the Emperor Napoleon the Great). It was the world's first encyclopedia devoted exclusively to the remains of ancient Egypt. The plates of this book are the first to present the archaeological sites of Thebes (Luxor). -
Egyptian Coptic Textile Fragment Group
Circa 6th-7th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Comprising the terminal part of a clavus in white and purple linen and wool, S torsion, borders embroidered with pilasters, the central scene representing eagles alternating with geometric elements; a large fragment of another clavus, ornamented with geometric patterns in red, green and yellow wool. 49 grams total including package, 22 cm each
Acquired 1970s-1996. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016.
The clavi are realised in tapestry technique, and the one with prominent figures has a rounded end. They were part of the decoration of a tunic, and the presence of the Imperial eagle, not a common pattern, could refer to a military tunic.
