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Details
LOT 0494
Large Egyptian Coptic Textile Fragment
CIRCA 7TH CENTURY A.D.
24 1/2 in. (224 grams, 62 cm).
Fragment from a tunic in coarse linen and purple violet wool, preserving the ornamentation of neck and chest, decorated with alternating medallions, with figures enclosed within the orbiculi of the vertical braids (clavi), representing nude or lightly dressed dancers; the upper part of the fragment featuring a decoration of red triangles descending downwards.
Provenance
Acquired 1970s-1996.
Property of a North American collector.
London collection, 2016.
Literature
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.137, no.124, for a fragment of tunic decorated in a similar way.
Footnotes
This iconographic theme, originating from the pagan repertoire of Greek origin, was common on late Roman tunics: it evoked the joyful processions of Dionysus' servants.
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