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- 5th–7th Century C.E.
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Wool Tapestry from Egypt
- 5th–7th Century C.E.
About the Item
Wool Tapestry from Egypt
Late Antique Period; 5th–7th Century C.E.
This band fragment features geometric decorations in red and black.
Textiles like this are believed to have been crafted by Copts (Christian Egyptians) and other weavers throughout the Byzantine Empire. The designs and motifs found in Coptic and Byzantine textiles significantly influenced the visual styles of the early Islamic period. This fragment likely belonged to the decoration of a tunic, which was a key garment during the Late Antique era.
The Copts used tunics, shawls, and hangings as burial shrouds. This explains why archaeologists conducting excavations in Egypt during the 19th and early 20th centuries discovered numerous textiles made of linen, wool, and silk in the Greco-Roman and Byzantine necropolises, some dating back to the 2nd century C.E. Due to the dry climate and burial techniques, Coptic fabrics have often retained their colors.
At the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris, the French archaeologist Albert Gayet showcased the results of his excavations from the winter of 1898-1899. Around one hundred Coptic textiles and fragments were displayed at the Palais du Costume. Their aesthetic generated considerable enthusiasm, particularly among artists like Auguste Rodin and Henri Matisse. This led to a "Coptomania," which, among other things, influenced fashion designers.
Coptic textiles represent the largest collection of ancient historical textiles found in museums as the Brooklyn museum, the Louvre, the Met , Palazzo Madama in Turin.
- Dimensions:Height: 3.94 in (10 cm)Width: 7.25 in (18.4 cm)Depth: 0.04 in (1 mm)
- Style:Egyptian (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Late Antique Period
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Bruxelles, BE
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU6666241775622
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At the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris, the French archaeologist Albert Gayet showcased the results of his excavations from the winter of 1898-1899. Around one hundred Coptic textiles and fragments were displayed at the Palais du Costume. Their aesthetic generated considerable enthusiasm, particularly among artists like Auguste Rodin and Henri Matisse. This led to a "Coptomania," which, among other things, influenced fashion designers.
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Expertise by Professor Guy Delmarcel
This Flemish tapestry is a remarkable example of 16th-century craftsmanship, distinguished by its exceptionally well-preserved color palette.
The medaillon-shaped center stands out against a background of dark blue roses and acanthus leaves. It depicts the martyrdom of Saint Barbara, identified by the tower where she was imprisoned. According to legend, her father, Dioscorus, is about to behead her with a scimitar, while an angel descends from the heavens to strike him with lightning.
At the bottom, beneath Saint Barbara, two fantastical creatures. On the left is a griffon depicted with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. On the right is a creature with the body of a leopard, the head of an elephant adorned in a fancy blue cloak. Both animals face each other standing either side of a green hill top in the middle of the tapestry.
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Professor Guy Delmarcel connects this tapestry to a series of textiles produced in Bruges after 1530, characterized by their fantastical nature scenes populated with imaginative creatures. Most feature similar roses and acanthus-leaves as well as other vegetation, with wild animals appearing ready to attack. Two almost identical pieces preserved at the Art Institute of Chicago (Bruges, 336 x 599 cm) and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam ("Tournai," 285 x 490 cm) serve as prime examples. The entire surface is filled with greenery, along with birds and fantastic animals.
This tapestry exemplifies the rich decorative style of the time, merging naturalistic and poetic elements with exotic animals that spark the imagination.
Other works of this type follow the theme of the "Closed Garden." In the lower register, fantastical creatures occasionally appear, as seen in the exquisite Bruges Tapestry displayed at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris, and in the example from the Burrell Collection in Glasgow. The Parisian tapestry from Bruges features a mythical animal in the lower register, dressed in blue fabric, which closely resembles the animal in our tapestry.
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The overall colour-palette of our tapestry fabric characterized by pronounced brick-red colours and bluish-green leaves, aligns more closely with Bruges than with Tournai or Enghien.
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Cerberus, cruel monster, fierce and strange,
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$19,030 Sale Price
25% Off
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