Fragment from a tunic with depicting scenes from the Biblical story of David, tapestry woven linen and wool, Egypt, 7th - 9th Century

A band from the hem of a tunic, tapestry-woven in dyed wool and undyed linen thread on linen warps. The decoration, on a red ground, consists of roundels depicting scenes from the Biblical story of David, alternating with half-roundels containing pairs of confronted horsemen. There are small rosettes in the intervening spaces between roundels. Each roundel has a double border, the inner with a serpentine vine-motif on a white ground, and the outer with an interlocking gem-ornament.

The left, incomplete roundel depicts David brought before Saul (Samuel 17: 31-32), wiuth David recounting his successful fight against a lion and bear in order to convince Saul to let him fight Goliath. There are letters forming a largely incomprehensible text alongside the figures, although some of the letters might represent a garbled abbreviation of the Coptic for 'David'. The right-hand roundel depicts David's fight against the lion (Samuel 17: 34-36), with a figure (the personification of Dynamis) looking on. Both the composition of this scene, with David's arms around the lion's neck, and David's nudity, may have been influenced by depictions of Hercules slaying the Nemean lion.

Given by Sir C. Purdon Clarke, C.V.O.,C.I.E., in 1887

Examples such as this piece, consisting of roundels with stylised floral borders on a red background, represent tapestry woven imitations of contemporary silks.

Tapestry woven panel from the hem of a linen tunic, depicting scenes from the Biblical narrative of David.

417-1887