Fragment from a Coptic Hanging
This large rectangular textile incorporates both Roman and Christian imagery. Arcades containing hunters on horseback recall Roman sources, while the roundels with angels are clearly Christian. Similar imagery, such as the baskets of fruit, is found on the wall paintings of Umayyad desert palaces in Syria.
Early textiles such as this, woven by Coptic Christians, have survived the centuries due to the dry climate and the Christian perpetuation of the Egyptian practice of burying the dead in garments sometimes shrouded in large cloth wrappings. Such textiles were woven in well‑organized workshops that continued to function in the early Islamic period.
Early textiles such as this, woven by Coptic Christians, have survived the centuries due to the dry climate and the Christian perpetuation of the Egyptian practice of burying the dead in garments sometimes shrouded in large cloth wrappings. Such textiles were woven in well‑organized workshops that continued to function in the early Islamic period.
Artwork Details
- Title: Fragment from a Coptic Hanging
- Date: 5th century
- Geography: Attributed to Egypt
- Medium: Linen, wool; plain weave, tapestry-weave
- Dimensions: Textile: L. 40 15/16 in. (104 cm)
W. 24 13/16 in. (63 cm)
Mount: L. 46 1/4 in. (117.5 cm)
W. 31 1/8 in. (79.1 cm)
D. 2 1/4 in. (5.7 cm)
Wt. 30 lbs. (13.6 kg) - Classification: Textiles-Rugs
- Credit Line: Gift of George F. Baker, 1890
- Object Number: 90.5.905
- Curatorial Department: Islamic Art
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probably 5th century
late 3rd–4th century
probably 5th century
4th–5th century
3rd–4th century
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