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Textile Fragment

6th Century - 10th Century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Fragment of a plain woven, undyed linen tunic, decorated with a set of three clavi alternating between tapestry woven and brocaded dyed wool. The clavi are incomplete at the top, but preserve their pendants at the bottom. Portions of the wool on the tapestry clavi are lost, revealing the linen warps below.

The first and third clavi are tapestry woven. The design is divided into two panels, one depicting alternating animals and birds in a scrolling vine-pattern on a red-orange ground, the other a red, white, orange-yellow and green floral motif on an orange-yellow ground. At the bottom of both clavi is a leaf-shaped pendant with a human head. The whole clavus is outlined in black, with the border of the animal panel further decorated with a jewelled pattern. The middle, brocaded clavus has a repeated geometric pattern in alternating green and orange wools; the clavus is outlined and the geometric cross-shaped motifs held within a diaper lozenge of white-beige wool. At the base of this clavus is a pendant containing another cross-motif in orange.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Plain woven linen, tapestry woven wool, wool brocade
Brief description
Fragment of a tunic, plain woven linen, tapestry woven linen and wool and wool brocade, Egypt, possibly 6th - 10th Century
Physical description
Fragment of a plain woven, undyed linen tunic, decorated with a set of three clavi alternating between tapestry woven and brocaded dyed wool. The clavi are incomplete at the top, but preserve their pendants at the bottom. Portions of the wool on the tapestry clavi are lost, revealing the linen warps below.

The first and third clavi are tapestry woven. The design is divided into two panels, one depicting alternating animals and birds in a scrolling vine-pattern on a red-orange ground, the other a red, white, orange-yellow and green floral motif on an orange-yellow ground. At the bottom of both clavi is a leaf-shaped pendant with a human head. The whole clavus is outlined in black, with the border of the animal panel further decorated with a jewelled pattern. The middle, brocaded clavus has a repeated geometric pattern in alternating green and orange wools; the clavus is outlined and the geometric cross-shaped motifs held within a diaper lozenge of white-beige wool. At the base of this clavus is a pendant containing another cross-motif in orange.

Dimensions
  • Length: 23in
  • Width: 7in
  • 1st band width: 1.5in
  • 2nd band width: 1in
Object history
242-1887 to 297-1887 inclusive purchased for 9s 6d from Reverend Greville Chester.
Association
Bibliographic reference
A set of clavi in a similar alternating tapestry and brocade style are held in Dumbarton Oaks (BZ.1953.2.88). According to the online collections entry for this piece, multiple clavi are more commonly found on the backs of tunics.
Collection
Accession number
259-1887

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
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