Fragment of a Wall Hanging with Figures in Elaborate Dress
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.The two figures framed by a jeweled arcade are dressed in styles popular from Syria to Libya from the seventh to the ninth century. The figure at left wears a Sasanian-inspired dress, and the one at right wears a belted woven-to-shape tunic and a mantle. The personifications and their gifts represent the abundance of the earth and were meant to bring prosperity to the textile’s owner. Similar images are found throughout the Mediterranean world and were especially popular on textiles and floor mosaics.
Artwork Details
- Title: Fragment of a Wall Hanging with Figures in Elaborate Dress
- Date: 4th–6th century
- Geography: Made in Egypt
- Medium: Tapestry weave in polychrome wool
- Dimensions: 16 3/4 x 25 in. (42.5 x 63.5 cm)
- Classification: Textiles
- Credit Line: Byzantine Collection, Dumbarton Oaks, Washington D.C. (BZ.1970.43)
- Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters