The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 17, 2024
Fragments with Gold Foil
300s–400s CE
Average: 40.8 x 48.4 cm (16 1/16 x 19 1/16 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1983.140
Location: not on view
Description
The rare gold foil and rich purple wool in these two fragments originally enriched a luxurious fabric. Costly gold foil wrapped around a silk core forms the central motif within a diamond, woven in tapestry weave. The surrounding interlacing knot design—achieved with three overlapping squares (in the small fragment) or interlacing squares (in the large fragment)—offered protection from danger and harm. The roundels were woven with extra, or supplementary, linen wefts wrapped on the purple ground. Linen pile loops in the ground fabric resisted abrasion in furnishing fabrics and provided insulation in tunics.- Mrs. Paul Mallon, Paris.
- Ball, Jennifer L.. "Charms: Protective and Auspicious Motifs." In Designing Identity: The Power of Textiles in Late Antiquity. Thelma K. Thomas, ed. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2016. Reproduced: P. 61, fig. 1-2.8a-c
- The Year in Review for 1983. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 22-April 8, 1984).
- {{cite web|title=Fragments with Gold Foil|url=false|author=|year=300s–400s CE|access-date=17 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1983.140