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Panel
Unknown - Enlarge image
Panel
- Place of origin:
Akhmim, Egypt (made)
- Date:
300-699 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Unknown (production)
- Materials and Techniques:
Tapestry-woven in linen and wool on a plain-woven linen ground
- Museum number:
666-1886
- Gallery location:
In Storage
Christianity was officially recognised in Egypt under the Emperor Constantine in the 4th century AD. Christian symbolism appeared variously on textiles and other artefacts, including several forms of the Cross, which is the chief emblem represented.
One form peculiar to Egypt is the hieroglyph ankh, which stands in Egyptian art as the symbol of life. It has the shape of the cross with a long loop at the top and had Christian significance in Egypt as early as Constantine's time. As this fragment has been cut off of the original larger textile from which it came, it is not certain whether in this context it is a Christian representation, although it seems likely.
