c. 500
Wool, linen, and dye
Overall: 34 x 29.2 cm (13 3/8 x 11 1/2 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1982.270
Many different kinds of birds are woven into this medallion, hiding amongst the floral and scroll designs.
Segmentum (medallions) like this decorated tunics in Coptic Egypt. Medallions were woven into a tunic’s shoulders or lower half. This medallion's design scheme displays waves encircling geometric shapes and representational images. Coptic can refer to a language, an ethnic group, a religion, or an artistic style (which wasn’t always Christian). Coptic classical imagery reflects the Hellenized (Greek, 305–30 BC) and Roman cultures of Egypt (30 BC–AD 395) before the Byzantine era.
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