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LOT 0579
Egyptian Coptic Textile Fragment Group
CIRCA 5TH-6TH CENTURY A.D.
2 5/8 - 5 1/2 in. (37 grams total including package, 6.7-14 cm).
Comprising a fragment of a large segmentum in linen and wool, embroidered with a dancer, followed by a tondo with a Nereid riding a dolphin, borders with geometric decorations; an orbiculus decorated with vegetal patterns. [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.100, no.12, for similar textiles.
FootnotesThe segmentum was probably part of the vertical clavus of a tunic; it is highly probable that the embroidery refers to the Dionysian cycle with dancers, animals and probably, in the missing parts, hunters.
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 Faience Bead Necklace
Late-Ptolemaic Period, 664-30 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £46
Composed of vibrant blue tubular and annular beads, restrung. 8.9 grams, 96 cm
Ex Norri collection, Milton Keynes, UK, 1980s-1990s. -
Egyptian Faience Mummy Bead Necklace with Bastet
Late Period, 664-332 B.C. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £111
Restrung necklace of tubular and annular beads with later pendant figure of Bastet as centrepiece. 9.93 grams, 80 cm long
From a private Tyneside collection, formed since the early 2000s. -
Egyptian Coptic Textile Fragment
Circa 4th-5th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £59
An orbiculus in coarse linen and green wool, S torsion, embroidered with the image of putto with holding a box and looking left, surrounded by tondos ornamented with vegetal embroidery, borders decorated with floral elements. 11 grams total including package, 88 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 very recurrent on Coptic textiles. Weavers created patterns that allowed them to reproduce these motifs on any type of fabric (curtains, tassels, clothing).
