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LOT 0682
Egyptian Coptic Tunics Textile Fragments of Orbiculus, Segmenta and Tablion with Animals and Geometric Decoration
CIRCA 6TH-7TH CENTURY A.D.
2 3/4 - 7 5/8 in. (18 grams total, 6.9-19.5 cm).
Comprising: a double decorative tunic stripe (clavus) in purple wool over coarse linen, S-twist tapestry, embroidered with stylised plants, from the cuff of a tunic; a large tablion, with floral ornamentation, borders decorated with meanders; a small orbiculus, with a flying putto and a horse; a large part of another clavus, ornamented with a succession of medallions filled with birds. [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.162-163, nos.39A-B, 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. The plant designs are related to the so-called Nilotic decorative pattern. The motif of the winged putto is common in Coptic textiles.
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LOT 0682
Egyptian Coptic Tunics Textile Fragments of Orbiculus, Segmenta and Tablion with Animals and Geometric Decoration
Estimate £70 - 90€81 - 104 (for guidance only)$95 - 122 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£5 (EUR 6; USD 7) +BP*
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Large Egyptian Coptic Tunic Textile Fragment with Central Broad Clavus and Side Clavus
Circa 7th-8th century A.D.Estimate: £200 - 300 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Comprising a large portion of tunic, with a complete section of the collar (maniakion) divided in successive decorative circular bands, ornamented with geometric patterns of floral elements, plants, interlaces; a central segmentum broadly decorated with geometric patterns, palmettes, triangles, and a round medallion with an impressive floral design; the segmentum is bordered by two purple stripes, flanked by other two bands of vegetal ornaments enclosed in medallions; the terminal part of the tunic still presents the fastening stripes of selvedges in rope forming the lowed border; S-twist yellow-orange and purple wool warp on linen; a long clavus in purple wool on linen decorated with vegetal interlaces, the borders meander decorated. 236 grams total including paper folder, 57.5 cm
Acquired 1970s-1996. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016.
The large fragment featuring geometric and vegetal decoration may date to the early period of the Islamic conquest, when tunic ornamentation began to take on an increasingly abstract and geometric character, often linked to the representation of plants and Nilotic flora. The rich decoration of the tunic and the use of purple suggest that it may have belonged to an aristocrat or a wealthy ecclesiastic of the Coptic-Greek population, or perhaps to a dignitary of the Umayyad Empire. -
Romano-Egyptian Stone Crocodile Figure
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Estimate: £400 - 600 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £200
Carved in high relief with a flat underside, reptilian body with finely rendered scales, and a small human head, mounted on a custom-made wooden stand. 40.79 grams, 68 mm wide (116 grams total, 93 mmm wide including stand)
Private collection. with Mallams, Oxford, Library Sale, 2025. Acquired by the current owner from the above.
The earliest representation of a human-headed crocodile appears in a vignette from Spell 88 of the Book of the Dead dating to the reign of Ramesses II (13th century B.C.), and identifies the deceased as Sobek. Stylistically, this example appears to be from the Late Period, when amulets representing Sobek-Osiris or Sobek-Re are known. -
Egyptian Terracotta Funerary Cone of Amenhotep
New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, 15th-14th century B.C.Estimate: £300 - 400 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Conical, with three horizontal lines of hieroglyphic text to the end, reading: 'Scribe of reckoning barley of Amun, Amenhotep, true of voice'; tip absent. 350 grams, 78 mm wide
Acquired from Abdoul Rassoul on the West Bank at Luxor, 1974-1980 when a guest lecturer. From the private collection of Peter Clayton, FCILIP, Dip, Arch, FSA, FRNS, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, UK; formed since the late 1950s.
Although funerary cones of Amenhotep have been in circulation for a long time, his tomb was documented only in 1996 by Friederike Kampp-Seyfried, who assigned it the number 336.
