Cleveland Museum of Art

Ornamental Shoulder Bands from a Tunic

Date

500s

Medium

Undyed linen and dyed wool: tapestry weave with supplementary weft wrapping

Culture

Egypt, Byzantine period

Department

Textiles

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

The orientation of the figures indicates that these were vertical bands on a tunic descending from the shoulders. Human figures under arches alternate with dogs, rabbits, and a lion. The right band displays a nude female dancer playing finger cymbals at the top and bottom, and in the center, a hunter dressed in a short garment (chiton) draped over one shoulder carries a shield in his right hand and a rock in his raised hand. The left band displays, from top to bottom, a nude male carrying a leafy branch; a shepherd carrying a shepherd’s crook and dressed in a skirt of animal skin; and a nude female dancer with a scarf loosely draped behind her.

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