The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of January 27, 2023

Roundel from a Tunic with Palmette Tree

650–850

Egypt or possibly Syria

Silk; complementary weft-faced twill weave with inner warps (samite)

Overall: 18.3 x 17.8 cm (7 3/16 x 7 in.); Mounted: 27.9 x 26.7 cm (11 x 10 1/2 in.)

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1952.101

Location

not on view

Fun Fact

Originally designed in Byzantine Egypt or possibly Syria, patterns like this were woven throughout a period of two to four centuries.

Description

Four or six squares of this luxurious two-color silk were originally sewn on a linen tunic, two positioned above the hemline in the front and two in the back, and possibly two more at the shoulder. The folded edges are still visible, including a silk sewing thread on the right side. The brittle condition is evident in the numerous crisp breaks.

Provenance
found in Akhmim, Egypt; (Mme. Paul Mallon, Paris).
Citations
Mackie, Louise W. Symbols of Power: Luxury Textiles from Islamic Lands, 7th-21st Century. Cleveland; New Haven: Cleveland Museum of Art; Yale University Press, 2015. Reproduced: P. 48, fig. 2.6; Mentioned: P. 49
Exhibition history

Textiles from Egypt, Syria and Spain: 7th through 15th centuries. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 26-June 6, 1991).

Coptic Textile Rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 12, 2016-May 22, 2017).

Coptic Textile Rotation Gallery 106. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (November 18, 2021-November 13, 2022).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1952.101