Harvard Art Museums > 1917.113: Tunic Ornament: Two Hunters Battling Lions Textile Arts Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Tunic Ornament: Two Hunters Battling Lions , 1917.113,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Dec 21, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/213697. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 1917.113 Title Tunic Ornament: Two Hunters Battling Lions Classification Textile Arts Work Type textile Date 5th-6th century Places Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Africa, Egypt (Ancient) Period Byzantine period, Early Culture Byzantine Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/213697 Physical Descriptions Medium Wool and linen Technique Tapestry Dimensions 12.7 x 10.16 cm (5 x 4 in.) Provenance Recorded Ownership History Denman W. Ross, Cambridge, MA (by 1917),gift; to the Fogg Museum of Art, 1917. Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Denman W. Ross Accession Year 1917 Object Number 1917.113 Division Asian and Mediterranean Art Contact am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Descriptions Description Square panel from a linen cloth, tapestry-woven in black wool and undyed linen thread. Areas of plain woven linen are visible on the edges of the square. A circle encloses two men on foot fighting felines. The upper cat is a maned lion, and the lower cat has spots. The human figures, partially nude with large eyes, lung forward with a spear or sword. The lower human figure sports a top knot. Spandrels formed by the circle and square are filled with vine scrolls. The flying shuttle technique adds detail to the figures and vines in an undyed thread. The square has been stitched down onto a fabric support. Commentary The subject matter of this tapestry square is similar to the silk samite from Egypt in the collection of the Katoen Natie (no. 795), which has been radiocarbon dated to the 3-4th century (95.4% probability). [1] Another fragment from the same silk samite is in the Royal Scottish Museum [2]; and two other fragments are in the Newark Museum [3]. The figural style of this square is similar to that of two orbiculi in the Museum der Kulturen Basel inv. III 17056 and III 17068. These show heroes defeating barbarians or Amazons. [1] Van Strydonck M, Antoine De Moor, D Bénazeth. “14C dating compared to art historical dating of Ro¬man and Coptic textiles from Egypt.” Radiocarbon 46.1 (2004): 231–244. [2] J. Bourriau. "Egyptian antiquities acquired in 1975 by museums in the United Kingdom. Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 63 (1977):171–174. [3] S.H. Auth. "Coptic Art." The Newark Museum Quarterly 29.2 (1978):10–11. Exhibition History 32Q: 3740 Egyptian, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 12/21/2016 - 06/01/2017 32Q: 3620 University Study Gallery, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 01/20/2024 - 05/05/2024 Bringing the Holy Land Home: The Crusades, Chertsey Abbey, and the Reconstruction of a Medieval Masterpiece, Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Gallery, College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, 01/26/2023 - 04/06/2023 Subjects and Contexts Collection Highlights Verification Level This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
