1917.113: Tunic Ornament: Two Hunters Battling Lions

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

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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