Cleveland Museum of Art

Duck's Head from a Large Curtain

Date

200s CE

Medium

tapestry weave: wool

Culture

Egypt, Byzantine period

Department

Textiles

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

As creatures seen on Egypt's Nile River, ducks represent the abundance of life. The effects of shading and modeling are visible in the duck's head, which stands out against a background of sparkling water. The image is rendered in tapestry weave with wool dyed distinctive colors, several of which are combined, such as blue and red, and coral and blue-green on the right side, as if painted with dyed threads. While not common, scenes of aquatic life inspired by the Nile were celebrated in Coptic textiles. Typical of luxury curtains and hangings, the fragment is woven entirely with wool.

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