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LOT 0449
Egyptian Mounted Coptic Textile with Running Hounds
CIRCA 6TH-7TH CENTURY A.D.
23 1/4 x 9 5/8 in. (163 grams, 59 x 24.5 cm).
Comprising a large fragment with a vertical band (clavus) from a garment, woven in linen and green, blue, yellow and red wool, embroidered with circular patterns filled with vegetal figures and arabesques, alternating with two parallel rows of running animals (hounds?), edged by a red border, a further band of foliage decoration. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired 1970s-1996.
Property of a North American collector.
London collection, 2016.
Cf. Wulff, O. & W.F. Volbach, Spätantike und koptische Stoffe aus ägyptischen Grabfunden in den Staatlichen Museen Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum / Ägyptisches Museum Schliemann-Sammlung, Berlin, 1926, no.9676, p.96, for similar textile.
FootnotesTapestry technique on natural linen. It is highly probable that this tapestry was part of a long decorated tunic, a clavus running vertically on the breast and on the back of it, and having a parallel clavus on the other side. Tunic decoration conformed to a specific layout with the back mirroring the front. Matching bands called clavi ran on either side of the neck. They could be full length, like our specimen, or stop above the waistline.
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 and Other Faience Amulet and Bead Group
New Kingdom, 1315-1069 B.C. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £286
Most covered in a coloured glaze; amulets including fruits and deities; beads of a range of types. 34 grams total, 2-20 mm
UK gallery, early 2000s. -
Egyptian Mounted Coptic Textile
Circa 6th-7th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £39
Comprising a pair of simple segmenta on a woven background, formed of a spiral line surrounding floral images, closed at both ends by a pair of petals. 121 grams, 38 x 30 cm
Acquired 1970s-1996. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016.
The textile shows a pair of segmenta, probably from a sleeve of a linen tunic. The wool here seems to be Z-spun, a spin direction not very common in Roman Egypt and suggesting that the spun yarn may have been traded from another province of the empire. Frequently, like in our case, the wool is purple in hue. -
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Egyptian Glass Inlay Collection
Circa 1st century B.C.-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £39
Comprising sixteen drawn inlays of various colour combinations. 12 grams total, 12-39 mm
Fine condition.
Ex N.A. collection, 1970s. Kept in the U.K. since 2007.
