Cleveland Museum of Art

Ornamental Square from a Tunic

Date

400s

Medium

tapestry weave with supplementary weft wrapping; undyed linen and dyed wool

Culture

Egypt, Byzantine period

Department

Textiles

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This mythological scene of the first labor of Hercules––capturing the Nemean lion––originally decorated the front, back, or shoulder of a unisex linen tunic. Hercules was tasked with performing 12 labors as penance for slaying his own wife and children. Here he carries a club with a lion skin slung over his shoulder, serving as impenetrable armor. His companion, Iolaus, carries his bow and quiver on the right. The small figure in the center is unidentified. Knotted ornaments fill the corners, surrounded by a broad purple border edged with a running wave motif.

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