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LOT 0477
Egyptian Coptic Textile Fragment
CIRCA 4TH-5TH CENTURY A.D.
3 1/2 in. (11 grams total including package, 88 mm).
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. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired 1970s-1996.
Property of a North American collector.
London collection, 2016.
Cf. Institut du monde arabe, L'art copte en Égypte: 2000 ans de Christianisme : exposition présentée à l'Institut du monde arabe, Paris, du 15 mai au 3 septembre 2000, Paris, 2000, p.191, no.211, for a similar textile image on papyrus.
FootnotesThe 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).
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AUCTIONS:
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Egyptian Faience Mummy Bead Bracelet with Winged Scarab
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £140
Restrung bracelet of annuar beads in the form of a scarab with extended wings. 8.3 grams, 22 cm including clasp
Ex Mariaud de Serres, Paris, France, 1990s. -
Egyptian Coptic Textile Fragment Group
Circa 4th-6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £260
Comprising: fragment of a segmentum in red and coarse linen, S torsion, embroidered with geometric motifs; fragment of another segmentum in red, yellow, blue and green wool, with representations of buds within a red frame; a small tabula in purple wool over linen background, embroidered with a stylised image of Pegasus; a double segmenta, in purple over linen, embroidered with wave motif. 66 grams total including package, 7.8-20.5 cm
Acquired 1970s-1996. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016.
These are pieces of extraordinary finesse in both material and design. They all probably were once applied as a decoration of various garments, such as tunics, cloaks, and shawls. -
Egyptian Amulet Bead Collection
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £65
Group of amuletic beads and pendants, including Bes with a feathered headdress, the goddess Taweret, a Hathor head with characteristic curled wig, a vulture, and others. 3 grams total, 12.5-19.6 mm
with Archaeologia, Switzerland, before 1983. Ex private North American collection. London private collection, 2016.
