Horseman on a lavishly-harnessed mount, beneath which runs a hare. The wide border contains sixteen medallions decorated with vine leaves, each with a full-face bust.
Origin:
Egypt
Date:
5th - 7th century
Material:
Linen and wool
Dimensions:
Warp: 22 cm, weft: 22 cm
Comparisons:
Cleveland Art Museum, inv. 1926.148: busts.
Louvre, inv. X 4981: horseman.
Classical iconography of Graeco-Roman imagines clipeatae (painted on a shield), to represent busts of the dead.
Provenance:
Collection Coptic textiles Fill-Trevisiol: donation
Location:
Musée royal de Mariemont
Woollen and linen tapestry
I. No ground weave
II. Tapestry areas
Warp:
natural-coloured wool S: 12-14/cm
Weft:
purple (brown discoloured) wool S: 65/cm; natural-coloured linen? wool?, S
Weave:
weft-faced tabby
Special techniques:
slit tapestry, eccentric weft, vertical weft brocading, flying thread
brocading for details only