Fragment from a hanging or cover, tapestry woven linen and wool, Akhmim, Egypt, 4th Century - 5th Century

Fragment from the lower left side of a mattress cover, tapestry woven in wool on linen warp (7 warp ends/cm). The fragment preserves a selvedge on the left side and part of the starting border. The design is based on a symmetrical arrangement of registers:

1. At the top of the fragment are three wreath-like bands of leaves on a black ground, with each band containing alternating pairs of orange and green leaves, with a blossom every six leaves. Between these two registers are birds standing on branches, on a cherry-red ground. Based on the composition of the Metropolitan Museum fragment of this piece (see Object Production Note), the birds would have been in a pair facing each other with a basket of grapes betwen them.

Information from Hartley et al. (see references): The paired bird motif would have repeated twice across the width of the textile, and three times down its length.

2. Below this series is a register of five bands. The top and botom are again based on wreaths, with two-tone leaves alternating green, red, blue and orange in sets of four. The second and fourth bands are based on jewellery in gold with almond-shaped gemstones in green, red and blue. The middle register is perhaps also based on weath designs, with alternating blocks of colour like the outer bands, but far more geometic. The Metropolitan Museum fragment shows that a similar register would have been placed above the bird registers also.

3. At the bottom of the fragment is a wider individual bands of leaves and roses, both face on and, in the outer borders, shown in profile.

Given by the Rev. Greville J. Chester

Purchased from the Reverend Greville J. Chester.

Displayed in the exhibition Constantine The Great: York's Roman Emperor, Yorkshire Museum, 31 March - 29 October 2006

A fragment in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (90.5.153) comes from the same piece and appears to join directly above this fragment. Another piece in the V&A, 268-1889, comes from the centre of the textile. Hartley et. al (see references) estimate the original complete size of the cover as c. 272 x 210 cm. They identify it as a mattress cover rather than hanging.

Cloth of tapestry, woven in coloured wools on linen warps. Succession of broad, horizontal bands containing flowers, foliations, and conventional ornament. On the red ground in each of three spaces between the bands is a bird perched on a twig.

267-1889