Harvard Art Museums > 1931.40: Band with Human and Animal Figures 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"Band with Human and Animal Figures , 1931.40,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Dec 22, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/215293. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 1931.40 Title Band with Human and Animal Figures Classification Textile Arts Work Type textile Places Creation Place: Africa, Egypt Period Byzantine period Culture Byzantine Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/215293 Physical Descriptions Medium Linen and wool, tapestry woven Technique Woven, tapestry weave Dimensions 10.16 x 31.75 cm (4 x 12 1/2 in.) Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Charles Bain Hoyt Accession Year 1931 Object Number 1931.40 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 A thin brownish-purple band runs parallel to a red band containing a design of highly abstracted human and animal figures. Figures are done in yellow, brown, green, black, and red wool wefts. Human figures with arms raised repeat, one above the other, along the length of the band. Two of these figures stand next to large multicolored fish. Several of the other figures may have smaller fish attached to their belts and represent fishermen. In the yellow medallion at the center of this design, a small nude putto holds a green bird with red spots and crest. All figures are outlined in black. The figure to the right of the medallion holds up a green leaf in each hand, a common gesture by personifications of the earth. On the opposite side of the brown band, there is a red wave scroll border. There is a gap between the purple band and the two red bands; some survivals of dark brown fabric suggest these gaps were likely once filled with dark brown wefts. A small area of dark brown also survives below the inhabited band. Areas of exposed warps in the human figures’ skin were probably also filled with brown wefts. The putto with the duck is primarily made up of exposed warps, but his dark brown hand survives on the green bird. Above the red wave scroll are remnants of undyed yellowish wefts. Undyed warps. Commentary The frolicking figures with fish, leaves, and the green bird create an image of Nilotic abundance and celebration. The figure holding two leaves may also stretch forth a green scarf, referencing the traditional pose taken by larger-scale depictions of personifications of the Earth and seasons. Very similar to four fragments in Cleveland Museum of Art (1929.108) with same figures, fish, and bird executed in different colors. The Cleveland fragments are inside a gold band instead of a red band and are oriented perpendicular to the direction of the band instead of parallel to it. Also similar to Cleveland’s 1929.104. Both Cleveland pieces come from the collection George D. Pratt. Exhibition History 32Q: 3620 University Study Gallery, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 04/09/2018 - 04/09/2018 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
