| Description |
“Fragment of a tunic sleeve. The fragment has a dark yellow ground with figures and borders in dark brown. The design is a band with spiral-wave borders framing a row of figures. The figures that remain on the fragment are two warriors and, between them, a small lion. The ground line along which the lion runs is at a right angle to that of the warriors. The entire piece is woven in tapestry, wool weft on wool warp, 8 x 20-50 [warp : weft per square cm]. The weaving is fine and even and the reverse is unusually neat with short weft floats. All yarn is S-twist. A ninth- or tenth-century version of a sixth-century motif. Remarks: The yellow ground and certain features of the design indicate that the piece may have been made during a period of persecution after the Arab conquest when Coptic Egyptians were required to wear yellow garments, either during the time of Tulunid governors, 868-906 [CE], or the succeeding Ikhshidid dynasty, 935-969 [CE]. The piece is another member of the class of Coptic textiles discussed in the remarks for Number 16 [CAS 0389-2426]. The textiles in this group [DL Carroll # 17-26 (CAS 0389-2379, -2381, -2383, -2387, -2395, -2408A,B, -2418, -2428, -2431, -2587)] are reportedly from Shaikh Abada, or El Sheik Abara - the Arabic name for the site is transliterated variously. The ancient city was named Antinoöpolis after a beautiful Greek youth who drowned near there. It was founded in his memory by the emperor Hadrian around A.D. 13. A major weaving center in antiquity, some of its products have a classical flavor that may derive from Hadrian’s interest in early Greek art. The archaic style of Greece was revived during his reign. Later, in the Christian period, Antinoöpolis became the site of a famous monastery founded by Saint Samuel. While it is impossible to place total reliance on antique dealers’ attributions, the textiles in this group have similarities that make a common source believable. It is assumed that Rietz purchased them as a group, perhaps from a dealer in the vicinity.†[From Looms and Textiles of the Copts by Diane Lee Carroll (San Francisco, CA: Memoirs of the California Academy of Sciences, No. 11, 1988); Catalog # 25, pp. 102, 114-115; color plate, p. 70.] |
