Coptic Textile Fragment with Floral Motif

$284.34

A beautiful and colourful Coptic tapestry fragment. The pattern is largely symmetrical and shows two bands of a heart-shaped floral motif, framed by wavy borders. This fragment might have come from a tunic’s sleeve. The colours used include deep brown, bright red, green-yellow and a beige background colour.

Date: 3rd - 4th Century AD
Provenance: Property of a London gentleman; part of a Mayfair collection formed in the 1970s and 1980s.
Condition: Fine, signs of aging on the fabric, overall good condition.

SOLD

SKU: FP-80 Category: Tags: , , ,

Such floral decorations were a common motif in the Near East and are also found in Syria and in Egypt. The Ancient Egyptians had a vital connection with nature and was a common feature in artistic representation and hieroglyphs.

Coptic textiles, whose production began in the 3rd and 4th centuries AD in Egypt, were hand woven with unbleached linen warps and dyed wool wefts. This beautiful Coptic textile managed to survive thanks to the dry and hot desert climate.

During the Early Coptic period (3rd – 4th centuries AD), the primary decorative themes were taken from nature and Classical mythology. By the Middle Coptic period (5th – 7th centuries AD), depictions included abstract natural elements and Christian symbolism.

Weight 29.8 g
Dimensions W 17 x H 17.75 cm
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