A wonderfully animated fragment of late antique Egyptian tapestry weaving, densely worked with stylized zoomorphic and vegetal forms with small geometric compartments in muted red, blue-green, rose, ochre, brown, and black.
The imagery is compressed into horizontal registers, with individual motifs appearing almost like tiny pictograms. Its fragmentary survival only heightens that quality, turning what was once part of a larger textile into an unexpectedly modern, almost collage-like composition.
Originally likely part of a garment or furnishing, the piece reflects the extraordinarily varied visual world of late antique Egypt, where classical, Christian, and eastern Mediterranean motifs were continually reworked by textile artists.
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Size: 8" x 7" [20cm x 18cm]
Age: 5-7th Century, AD
Country of Origin: Egypt
Type of Textile: Coptic Fragment
Material: Wool on linen
Pile Height: Flatwoven
Condition: Good condition for its significant age.
TX709
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