Harvard Art Museums > 1975.41.19.A: Square with Playing Putti 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"Square with Playing Putti , 1975.41.19.A,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Nov 21, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/288753. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 1975.41.19.A Title Square with Playing Putti Classification Textile Arts Work Type tapestry Date 7th-8th century Places Creation Place: Africa, Egypt Period Byzantine period Culture Coptic Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/288753 Physical Descriptions Medium Wool, tapestry woven Technique Tapestry Dimensions 30 x 29.5 cm (11 13/16 x 11 5/8 in.) Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of The Hagop Kevorkian Foundation in memory of Hagop Kevorkian Accession Year 1975 Object Number 1975.41.19.A 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 This tapestry-woven wool square is geometrically subdivided into sections filled with a variety of motifs. Four female busts in medallions in the corners represent beneficent personifications (the Seasons?); each woman holds what is probably a debased sprig of foliage in each hand, as personifications of natural concepts and abundance often do. The central medallion with a red background holds playing putti and possibly nereids. Four yellow birds stand outside this medallion within a dark blue square. Around this square, a yellow field is divided into compartments by a dark blue line. Playing putti and green birds with red wings representations fill spandrels. All the motifs are highly abstract and difficult to read but refer to traditional motifs. A purple border with yellow flowers surrounds the square. Areas of the red ground remain around the square. Interlock technique used extensively to close vertical slits. Tapestry over 1 warp; warp: S red wool (10 warps per 1 cm) weft: S wool, various colors (28 per 1 cm) 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
