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LOT 0559
Egyptian Coptic Tunic Textile Fragments of Orbiculi with Vegetation, Figures and Geometric Ornament
CIRCA 6TH-7TH CENTURY A.D.
3 1/8 - 4 7/8 in. (11.1 grams total, 8.1-12.5 cm).
Comprising a tablion and an orbiculus featuring floral and geometric decoration in black and red wool (Z-twist); an orbiculus with floral and geometric decoration in yellow, brown, red, and black wool; and a heart-shaped bud in green, red, and yellow wool featuring a human figure at the centre. [4, 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, pp.120-123, nos.21-22, for a similar textile.
FootnotesThe fragments are decorative parts of tunics. These are fabrics of great decorative finesse, with some elements displaying an unusual and extremely well-preserved colour palette.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0559
Egyptian Coptic Tunic Textile Fragments of Orbiculi with Vegetation, Figures and Geometric Ornament
Estimate £80 - 100€93 - 116 (for guidance only)$108 - 135 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£5 (EUR 6; USD 7) +BP*
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Egyptian Painted Wooden Sarcophagus Section
Late-Ptolemaic Period, circa 664-30 B.C.Estimate: £30 - 40 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Rectangular fragment preserving a decorative design of alternating black, red, and white stripes. 20.3 grams, 64 mm
with a privately curated collection, 1980s-early 2000s. From the private collection and estate of Christine Simons (1943-2025), West Midlands, UK. -
Egyptian Coptic Tunic Clavus Textile Fragments with Armed Puttoes, Lion and Hound
Circa 5th century A.D.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Bids: 1 | Current Bid: £5
Comprising two long strips (clavus) with alternating figures of hunting puttoes with shields, hares and lions. 16.14 grams total, 22-23 cm
Acquired 1970s-1996. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016.
The theme of rabbits or hares, in association with other characters and animals of the Dionysian thiasos in a hunting setting, has notable parallels. Such representations are linked to narratives of the Dionysian cycle. -
Egyptian Mounted Coptic Tunic Textile Fragment of a Clavus with Nilotic Ornament
Circa 6th century A.D.Estimate: £40 - 60 (+bp*)
Bids: 2 | Current Bid: £10
Comprising a large segmentum in linen and wool, purple wool on linen, S-torsion, borders with dentilled decoration, floral and vegetal embroidery divided into three running strips; mounted on linen backing. 88 grams total, 26 cm
Acquired 1970s-1996. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016.
This embroidery was typical of tunics and garments characterised by full-length clavi, decorated with either intricate geometric patterns or with a multitude of small figures and animals, often edged with geometric borders and finished with thick, weft-loop fringes or cords.
