Tunic with Mythological Motifs
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.This woven-to-shape tunic constructed of heavy woolen fabric was likely an outer garment for a man of considerable means. The decoration—a combination of humans, animals, and mythological creatures in alternating squares and roundels—relies on a contrast between light and dark, a standard design element in late antique tunics.
Artwork Details
- Title: Tunic with Mythological Motifs
- Date: 5th-7th century
- Geography: Made in Egypt
- Medium: Tapestry weave in polychrome wool on plain-weave ground of yellowish wool; fringe in yellowish, purple-coloured, and nearly black wool along lower edges
- Dimensions: 51 15/16 x 104 5/16 in. (131.9 x 265 cm), including sleeves
- Classification: Textiles
- Credit Line: Brooklyn Museum, New York, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund (41.523)
- Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters