Tunic with Panels of Dionysian Figures, 400–500
Byzantine; Said to be from Panopolis (now Akhmim), Egypt
Linen, undyed, with wool panels in tapestry weave
Technical Glossary
Byzantine; Said to be from Panopolis (now Akhmim), Egypt
Linen, undyed, with wool panels in tapestry weave
68 3/4 x 53 in. (174.6 x 134.6 cm)
Gift of Edward S. Harkness, 1926 (26.9.9)
Tunics were typically made of undyed linen with decorative patterns worked in colored wool threads. The medallions and ornamented bands, called clavi, were decorated with images from nature, the classical world, or Christian themes. Here Dionysos, the Greek god of wine, is depicted in the underwater realm of fishtailed Nereus and his daughters.
