Loading, please wait...
LOT 0674
Large Egyptian Coptic Textile Fragment of a Tunic Collar Embroidered with Geometric Patterns
CIRCA 5TH CENTURY A.D.
19 1/4 in. (142 grams total including paper folder, 49 cm).
The complete collar section (maniakion) ornamented with decorative circular bands, filled with geometric patterns of floral elements, bordered with stripes of interlaced vegetal motifs in yellow-orange, green, red, yellow and purple wool warp on linen; a part of the right clavus still preserved, decorated in the same manner. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired 1970s-1996.
Property of a North American collector.
London collection, 2016.
Cf. De Moor, A., 'Radiocarbon dating of ancient textiles. State of research' in De Moor, A., Fluck, C., Methods of dating ancient textiles of the 1st Millennium AD from Egypt and neighbouring countries, Tielt, 2007, pp.99-111, p.107, for a similar textile (Louvre Inv.No.AF5983).
FootnotesIn Late Roman Egypt, this type of tunic, with wide decorative collars around the neck, was worn by rich aristocratic women and was part of the decoration of rich garments like the tunica talaris.
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:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
LOT 0674
Large Egyptian Coptic Textile Fragment of a Tunic Collar Embroidered with Geometric Patterns
Estimate £80 - 100€93 - 116 (for guidance only)$108 - 135 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£5 (EUR 6; USD 7) +BP*
-
Egyptian Faience Winged Scarab
Late Period, 26th-30th Dynasty, circa 664-332 B.C.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Comprising a winged scarab modelled with a ribbed carapace and two extended wings with feather detailing; a suspension hole runs transversely through the head. 10.98 grams, 60 mm
with a privately curated collection, 1980s-early 2000s. From the private collection and estate of Christine Simons (1943-2025), West Midlands, UK.
Winged scarabs were often used as funerary amulets and were believed to symbolise the deceased's rebirth and regeneration. -
Egyptian Green Glazed Faience Crocodile God Amulet
Late-Ptolemaic Period, 664-30 B.C.Estimate: £80 - 100 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
An amulet featuring a crocodile with its tail curled, resting on a long, rectangular plinth; the reptile's scales are finely rendered, with an integral suspension hole beneath its chin. 3.07 grams, 41 mm
From the private collection of Peter Clayton, FCILIP, Dip, Arch, FSA, FRNS, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, UK; formed since the late 1950s.
Although crocodiles were fearsome creatures, the Egyptian crocodile god Sobek was a benevolent god of water, fertility and rebirth in the afterlife. -
Egyptian Coptic Tunic and Tapestry Textile Fragments with Animals and Geometric Ornamets
Circa 7th-8th century A.D.Estimate: £80 - 100 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Comprising: a tapestry fragment (part of a pillow?) decorated with red bands and alternating figures of cups in green, red, blue, purple and yellow wool on linen; a large fragment of a segmentum from a tunic in coarse wool, consisting of a central medallion with a bird in red, yellow, light blue and yellow colour, with the borders decorate with meanders, tapestry, S-swift; a large portion of a tapestry with a central medallion ornamented with animals (lion, fish, birds) surrounded on the outside by dancing human figures and birds, one side circumscribed by a red stripe with vegetal ornaments, in red, blue-purple and yellow wool. 27 grams total, 15-22 cm
Acquired 1970s-1996. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016.
Large fragments of Coptic textiles display figures associated with the Dionysian retinue (lions, birds); however, they may date to the early period of the Islamic conquest, when tunic ornamentation began to take on an increasingly abstract and geometric character, preserving only stylised traces of the ancient Pagan symbology.
