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Sleeve band

Sleeve band

  • Place of origin:

    Egypt (made)

  • Date:

    8th century (made)
    4th/5th century (made)

  • Artist/Maker:

    Unknown (production)

  • Materials and Techniques:

    Tapestry woven wool and linen and plain woven linen

  • Museum number:

    253-1887

  • Gallery location:

    In Storage

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These tapestry-woven bands probably originally decorated the sleeve of a tunic. Garments and cloths in a relatively complete state are scarce from early periods. Most examples of this type of textile in museum collections are the decorative parts only, and we have to conjecture what type of garment or cloth the fragments might have belonged to.

These double bands are tapestry-woven in purple wool and undyed linen thread on a linen ground. The design of the bands features running animals including hares and lions in curvilinear compartments. Some of the animals' tongues are made in red wool.

Physical description

Tapestry-woven double band, possibly a sleeve band from a tunic. It contains two bands of tapestry-woven purple wool running animals including hares and lions in curvilinear compartments, with detail in red wool.

Technical analysis: Plain or tabby woven linen with two tapestry-woven bands, in wool and linen. Ground: warp in undyed linen, S-twist. Thread count approximately 24 per cm. Weft in undyed linen, S-twist. Thread count approximately 12 per cm. Bands: tapestry-woven bands, slit and dovetailed tapestry in wool on undyed linen warps in groups of two and three (not plied). Weft material undyed linen and wool in brown with a few details in red. Range of 22-8 ribs per cm. Additional details in undyed linen in brocading with flying shuttle. At each end of tapestry band areas of bare warp threads have been left.

Place of Origin

Egypt (made)

Date

8th century (made)
4th/5th century (made)

Artist/maker

Unknown (production)

Materials and Techniques

Tapestry woven wool and linen and plain woven linen

Dimensions

Length: 37.7 cm, Width: 16.8 cm

Object history note

Allegedly from a burial site.

Descriptive line

Tapestry woven sleeve band showing animals.

Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)

Contadini, Anna, Fatimid Art at the Victoria & Albert Museum. London: V&A Publications, 1998. p.59, plate 11.

Materials

Wool; Linen

Techniques

Plain weave; Slit tapestry

Subjects depicted

Lion; Hare

Categories

Textiles; Africa; Tapestry; Fashion

Collection code

T&F

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Qr_O77002
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