Cleveland Museum of Art

Fragment of a Tunic

Date

400s–600s CE

Medium

wool: tabby ground, inwoven tapestry ornament

Culture

Egypt, Byzantine period

Department

Textiles

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Tunics with decoration on the front and back were worn by both men and women. These long bands, called clavi, feature pairs of stylized haloed figures gesturing, possibly in dance, and wearing short skirts with scarves across their chests. They alternate with pairs of foxes (?) and fish. The ancient repair in the lower center of this woolen winter tunic reveals that decorated cloth was expensive, and thus often mended and reused. The dark blue dye is made from indigo.

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