The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of February 26, 2026

Fragment with Gold Foil and Apotropaic Interlacing Knots

300s–400s CE

Egypt, Byzantine period

undyed linen, dyed wool, and gold foil; plain weave with supplementary weft-loops, slit-tapestry weave with supplementary weft wrapping
Overall: 20.4 x 18.5 cm (8 1/16 x 7 5/16 in.); Mounted: 33 x 33 cm (13 x 13 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1983.140.c
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.
  • Thomas, Thelma K., Jennifer Ball, Edward Bleiberg, Kathrin Colburn, Helen C. Evans, Christine Kondoleon, Brandie Ratliff, and Elizabeth Dospel Williams. Designing Identity: The Power of Textiles in Late Antiquity. 2016. 61
    Thomas, Thelma K., Jennifer Ball, Edward Bleiberg, Kathrin Colburn, Helen C. Evans, Christine Kondoleon, Brandie Ratliff, and Elizabeth Dospěl Williams. Designing Identity: The Power of Textiles in Late Antiquity. 2016. fig. 1-2.8.c, p. 61
  • Designing Identity: The Power of Textiles in Late Antiquity. Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, New York University, NY, New York, NY (February 25-May 22, 2016).
    Coptic Textile Rotation Gallery 106. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 18, 2014-March 2, 2015).
    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).
  • {{cite web|title=Fragment with Gold Foil and Apotropaic Interlacing Knots|url=false|author=|year=300s–400s CE|access-date=26 February 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1983.140.c