Coptic Textile Fragment with Image of a Goddess

Not on view

The use of gold in the depiction of the female head on this fragment may be an allusion to the moon, or to moonlight. The crescent-shaped ornament in the woman’s hair identifies the image as a personification of Luna, the moon, or Diana, goddess of hunting and the chase. In classical mythology, Diana also presides over childbirth and protects the young. Such images were widely used on textiles, wall paintings, and mosaics throughout the Late Antique world. While large textile fragments like this one were discovered as burial wrappings, they probably originally belonged in a domestic setting and their exact use remains uncertain.

Coptic Textile Fragment with Image of a Goddess, Linen, wool; plain weave, weft-loop pile

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Coptic Textile Fragment with Image of a Goddess, Linen, wool; plain weave, weft-loop pile
Coptic Textile Fragment with Image of a Goddess, Linen, wool; plain weave, weft-loop pile
Coptic Textile Fragment with Image of a Goddess, Linen, wool; plain weave, weft-loop pile
Coptic Textile Fragment with Image of a Goddess, Linen, wool; plain weave, weft-loop pile
Coptic Textile Fragment with Image of a Goddess, Linen, wool; plain weave, weft-loop pile
Coptic Textile Fragment with Image of a Goddess, Linen, wool; plain weave, weft-loop pile
Coptic Textile Fragment with Image of a Goddess, Linen, wool; plain weave, weft-loop pile
Coptic Textile Fragment with Image of a Goddess, Linen, wool; plain weave, weft-loop pile
Coptic Textile Fragment with Image of a Goddess, Linen, wool; plain weave, weft-loop pile
Coptic Textile Fragment with Image of a Goddess, Linen, wool; plain weave, weft-loop pile
Coptic Textile Fragment with Image of a Goddess, Linen, wool; plain weave, weft-loop pile
Coptic Textile Fragment with Image of a Goddess, Linen, wool; plain weave, weft-loop pile
Coptic Textile Fragment with Image of a Goddess, Linen, wool; plain weave, weft-loop pile

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