The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of February 26, 2026

Lions from a Tunic

c. 800's

Egypt, Islamic Abbasid period, 8th - 9th Century

tapestry weave with supplementary weft wrapping; undyed linen and dyed wool
Overall: 23 x 23 cm (9 1/16 x 9 1/16 in.); Mounted: 29.2 x 29.2 cm (11 1/2 x 11 1/2 in.)
Andrew R. and Martha Holden Jennings Fund 1982.83.a
Location: Not on view

Description

The royal lions and jeweled border in this colorful roundel, originally from a tunic, conveyed power and wealth. The symmetrical design with lions and ducks flanking the central palmette (fan-shaped plant form) indicates that the pattern was copied from a costlier silk textile woven on a loom that automatically repeated the design in mirror-image symmetry.
  • Mrs. Paul Mallon, Paris.
  • Coptic Textile Rotation Gallery 106. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 23, 2012-May 2, 2013).
    Byzantine Gallery 210 Rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 29, 2004-July 18, 2005).
    Byzantine Gallery 210 Rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 12, 2000-October 25, 2001).
    Gallery 210 textile rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (September 11, 2000-October 21, 2001).
  • {{cite web|title=Lions from a Tunic|url=false|author=|year=c. 800's|access-date=26 February 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1982.83.a