Cleveland Museum of Art

Roundel from a Tunic with Palmette Tree

Date

650–850

Medium

Silk; complementary weft-faced twill weave with inner warps (samite)

Culture

Egypt or Syria(?)

Department

Textiles

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Four or six squares of this luxurious two-color silk were originally sewn on a linen tunic, two positioned above the hemline in the front and two in the back, and possibly two more at the shoulder. The folded edges are still visible, including a silk sewing thread on the right side. The brittle condition is evident in the numerous crisp breaks. Originally designed in Byzantine Egypt or possibly Syria, patterns like this were woven throughout a period of two to four centuries.

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