http://collections.mfa.org/collections/419336/objects/rdfTFA.Late Roman Textileshttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/1208376/resize%3Aformat%3Dfullhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/961850/resize%3Aformat%3DfullCover4th–5th centuryUndyed linen and colored wool--Ground of undyed linen in plain weave with five roundels and two pairs of stripes in tapestry weave in purple wool and undyed linen. Warp: undyed linen [S-spun]. Weft: undyed linen; tapestry roundels, stripes: undyed linen and purple wool [all S-spun]; Weft wrapping (flying shuttle) in undyed linenThis nearly fully preserved large linen cloth is said to come from Akhmim/Panopolis. The plain cloth of undyed linen has self-bands on both ends and five roundels and two pairs of strips, one on each end, in dark brown/’purple’ wool woven-in as inserts in tapestry weave. All roundels have ‘beaded’ outer borders, the rest of their decoration in weft-wrapping [flying shuttle technique] varies. The central roundel is largest, with a main inner field of overlapping octagons with delicate abstract fillers surrounded in a border of alternating circles and squares-on-points on linen ground with filler dots inside and in interstices. The other four roundels are identical with the main fields of overlapping circles with inner fillers and the borders of two-stranded guilloche of knotted and beaded pattern. Four outer strips consist of narrow guilloche bands with fillers and borders of alternating larger and smaller dots.http://collections.mfa.org/objects/71482/rdfhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/965116/resize%3Aformat%3DfullDionysos (fragment from a wall hanging)4th–5th centuryUndyed linen in plain weave; tapestry weave in wool and undyed linen An impressive fragment of a wool and linen wall hanging with Dionysos, identified by his name – ΔIONY.. OC – written above his head. Dionysos wears a vine and laurel leaf wreath with a pink ribbon against a bright yellow (gold?) halo, is in a relaxed pose in or in front of a gold-covered vaulted niche, his right arm raised behind his head, left holding a golden rhyton. The head and torso are strongly articulated to project physical perfection appropriate for the image of the divine. The youthful yet powerful face is subtly modelled, its plasticity achieved thanks to rich woolen palette. Preserved just below the waist he is nude, although a grey-blue himation is visible along his right flank brushing the hip, it wraps around his left arm, and around the lower legs on a detached fragment. A small panther sits at his feet. most likely this is the central section of the original hanging--its fragmentary condition, especially the loss of much of his legs and the setting impacts the appreciation of the panel. The gold vaulted niche with a guilloche decorated arch and partially preserved brackets/entablature/imposts (?) suggest a more substantial architectural frame and spatial depth, but the dark purple surround around Dionysos – at least in the present fragmentary condition – obscures it. His pose in the confine of the niche is somewhat ambiguous. He lounges on an angle that calls for the support of the upper body and the left arm with the rhyton, but the support is not there ( or presently not visible). Although two textile fragments – the Cleveland Art Museum’s Satyr and Maenad and the Abegg-Stiftung’s Kithara Player – considered related to the Boston piece share similar architectural framing and tapestry weaving technique, they do not adequately clarify the overall spatial organization of Dionysos’s panel. Without any doubt, this was an impressive wall hanging woven mostly as wool tapestry and displaying a substantial architectural setting with the niches with Dionysos and his entourage. It could had consisted of one longer piece or as a set of separate hangings. http://collections.mfa.org/objects/123616/rdfhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/1364700/resize%3Aformat%3DfullFragment of a curtain4th–6th century A.D.Undyed linen in plain weave; tapestry weave in colored wools (purple, green, hyellow, red, orange, brown and pink wool) and undyed linen Technique: Ground in undyed linen in plain weave; design in tapestry weave in colored wools and undyed linen. Warp: linen (spin direction ?) Weft: undyed linen and colored wools (spin direction ?); weft wrapping, slit joins; woven with warps perpendicular to the design.A fragment of a curtain of plain undyed linen with the decoration in tapestry weave in a silhouette style in purple and other colored wools. It shows Nike, the winged goddess of victory, alighting on a column of which only an upper part of the capital is preserved. She wears a necklace and sleeveless folded tunic (chiton) in red and green, her right shoulder and breast bared. The goddess holds wreaths in her raised hands.The size of the figure and the capital fragment indicate that the complete unit was around 2 meters high and would have been one of several such decorative elements in a long linen curtain. http://collections.mfa.org/objects/70783/rdfhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/817849/resize%3Aformat%3DfullFragment of a hanging6th century A.D. (?)Wool plain weave with tapestry-woven insert, wool cord trimGround of green wool with a roundel. Design in the roundel, woven with yellow, green, red and blue wool, shows a winged bust in a central medallion surrounded by four smaller medallions; between these are Nilotic motifs including a sailing putto on the upper left, a crocodile on the upper right, a fish and a bird on the lower right; and a dog occupies the lower left side; lotus leaves and flowers surround these figures. The winged bust in the center resembles personifications of seasons in Roman mosaics and the composition of four smaller roundels around the central medallion suggests Sassanian influence.http://collections.mfa.org/objects/49372/rdfhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/1012026/resize%3Aformat%3DfullFragment of a hanging400–500Linen plain weave with polychrome wool weft pile loopsA very rare large wall hanging in excellent condition. A male attendant with blonde long locks stands in a doorway or arcade. He wears a yellow tunic decorated with purple panels (segmenta) and shorter clavii, jeweled belt, green leggings and orange shoes. He holds a ladle and a bowl filled with red wine and resembles servants represented on several floor mosaics in North Africa. There are roses strewn about the figure and floral garlands in orange and red decorate the columns. http://collections.mfa.org/objects/49902/rdfhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/715316/resize%3Aformat%3DfullFragment of a tapestry band4th-5th century A.D.Linen and woolGround of natural-colored linen; design of dark brown wool; represents a dancing female surrounded by vine leaves, probably a dancing maenad in a fragment of a band that contained other Dionysiac figures.http://collections.mfa.org/objects/51965/rdfhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/1087952/resize%3Aformat%3DfullFragment of a wall hanging with a servant opening a curtain400-550Linen (undyed) and wool (dyed), tapestry Fragment of a wall hanging with a columnar arcade showing a doorkeeper/guard (in Latin, the ostiarius/velarius) drawing a colorful curtain. With his short blond hair, a neck collar with an amulet and an attire of a knee-length green tunic with yellow vertical bands (clavi) and shoulder roundels, jeweled belt, and red leggings with sandals he resembles barbarian guards of the Late Roman and Early Byzantine courts.The columns of the tall arcade have bases and capitals decorated with acanthus leaves and shafts covered with foliate garlands twisted into rope pattern (guilloche); the arch is festooned with fruits; a small section of an adjoining arch survives on the right. The fragments are surviving decorative tapestry components of what was originally much larger linen wall hanging.Technique: ground of very fine linen in plain weave; design components (arcade, figure, curtain) in tapestry weave (linen warp and very fine dyed wool and undyed linen weft). Woven with warps perpendicular to the design. http://collections.mfa.org/objects/112017/rdfhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/961840/resize%3Aformat%3DfullNeck ornament3rd-4th century A.D.(?)Wool, linen, and gold-wrapped silk thread slit tapestryGround of dark brownish purple wool; deisgn of green, red and brown wool, natural-colored linen and gold wrapped silk; consists of two squares, one slightly larger than the other, connected by two bands; the larger square represents dolphins and marine deities, including nereids, erotes and a triton; the square panel at the other end shows a sea creature holding a rudder; the two bands display jewel-like motifs and three heads in each band; the central head, crowned by wreaths, probably represents Dionysus.http://collections.mfa.org/objects/48771/rdfhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/1337299/resize%3Aformat%3DfullNeck ornament3rd-4th century A.D. (?)Wool, linen, and gold-wrapped silk thread slit tapestryGround of dark brownish purple wool; deisgn of green, red and brown wool, natural-colored linen and gold wrapped silk; consists of a square and an octagon connected by two bands; in the octagon is Dionysus and Ariadne identified by an inscription and in the square is a bust crowned by a wreath, probably representing Dionysus; each of the two bands encloses jewel-like motifs that simulate a necklace.http://collections.mfa.org/objects/48788/rdfhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/1429654/resize%3Aformat%3DfullOrnament for Tunic (Tabulae)6th century A.D.Tapestry-woven silk and linen yarnsA fragment of textile with a horseman in a roundel within a square. On the outer border, ducks chase fish amidst six red pomegranates. This square textile decorated a tunic. The warp is from fine natural colored linen, doubled (occasionally three or more strands) 18-20 to cm. The weft is from colored silk, with a little plain linen having tripled weft, turned in at top and bottom. The ground is composed of soft neutral green. The horseman is woven with cream colored and brown silk as well as some red silk. The fineness of the weaving, materials and quality suggest that the tunic this ornament decorated was costly. http://collections.mfa.org/objects/46155/rdfhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/729601/resize%3Aformat%3DfullPair of tapestry woven square dress ornaments4th–7th century A.D.Linen and wool tapestryDesign shows Byzantine influence. Warp of linen; ground of natural colored linen, with design of dark purple, green, yellow, light bluish-green, and red wool.http://collections.mfa.org/objects/474644/rdfhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/729148/resize%3Aformat%3DfullTapestry7th-8th century A.D.Linen and woolMedallion, Linen warp; 10 threads to a centimeter; weft linen and red, green yellow and blue wool. Design shows a central roundel enclosing a bust of haloed female figure carrying a basket. Surrounding the roundel are plants and four jars; the border encloses fish. The female bust probably represents Ge, the goddess of earth.http://collections.mfa.org/objects/69118/rdfhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/729669/resize%3Aformat%3DfullTapestry7th-9th century A.D.Linen and woolFragment of a tunic with two shoulder bands.Warp of linen; ground of red wool; the design on the bands shows standing saints woven with light and dark blue, orange, green and yellow wool, and natural-colored linen; the border encloses floral motifs and heart-shaped leaves woven with red, green, yellow and orange wool on a natural-colored linen ground; the bands are sewn onto a piece of red woolen fabric. Design shows Byzantine influence.http://collections.mfa.org/objects/71025/rdfhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/1052061/resize%3Aformat%3DfullTapestry band from large wall hanging (see matching band 66.378)3rd-4th century ADUndyed linen and dyed wool tapestryTechnique: Woven vertically, side selvages preserved [please, confirm the side selvages]. Warp: undyed linen (S-spun) Weft: colored wools (all S-spun) Tapestry over 2—3 warps; ca. 8 group warps per 1 cm; ca. 50-60 weft yarns per 1 cm. [please, check the accuracy of the yarn count) [please, check if there is any trace of linen weft along the top and bottom cuts of the band or were all wefts wool? Is there any evidence along the cuts what was the weave between the bands?] An exceptionally fine tapestry band cut from a longer wall hanging but preserved in its full width. It has a red ground with a colorful garland of laurel leaves, flower buds, fruits, lotus pods, even pairs of birds shown feeding at the edges, two waterfowl with the lotus on the left and two other birds on the right. The principal component of the design is a large yellow (gold?) shield with a male portrait carried by a pair of winged putti/erotes. It has a mature face turned to the left, dark hair with a reed wreath, its identity uncertain. It may represent a river god, a personification of Winter or some other mythological being as suggested by two small budding horns above the temples. The two putti/erotes with jeweled necklaces are nude with cloaks fluttering above. Nearly horizontal, they are in flying position with their heads turned to the right and to the left respectively. The band has an exceptional stylistic and technical quality. It is one of the finest examples of the illusionistic representation in textiles from the Late Roman period. With the garland as a foil, it projects layered spatial effect that thrusts the main element of the composition—the shield bearing putti—forward toward the viewer. The facial and other modelling, graded shading, minimal contouring, and skilled use of foreshortening and overlapping further advance the three-dimensionality of the composition. The visual proximity to the 3rd and 4th century painting is so strong, that the weaving must have been made around that time as well. http://collections.mfa.org/objects/116531/rdfhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/895205/resize%3Aformat%3DfullTapestry fragment6th-7th century A.D. (?)Wool tapestryThe ground is of dark blue. The design of repeated rows of ankh-like motifs is woven with yellow, dark green and red wool. b. - Fragment of border. Blue ground, and stems enclosing one single flower and half of a diamond detailed with similar diamonds. Much worn.http://collections.mfa.org/objects/70434/rdfhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/585813/resize%3Aformat%3DfullTapestry fragment5th century A.D.Wool, tapestry weaveA fragmentary head of a male in 3/4 view profile view perhaps surrounded by a green halo and therefore a Christian holy person (saint or apostle?). He has curly brown hair and beard and large blue eyes that gaze out. There is an air of contemplation and focus typical of the depiction of early Byzantine holy figures. He is looking toward his left, so perhaps he was part of a series of standing saints flanking a Christ figure. Images of holy persons on surviving textiles are rare for this period. Perhaps, the textile was part of a large curtain placed in a Church or used in a house for veneration, a woven textile. Polychrome wool yarns on undyed wool warps, except for the restored areas where warps are red. http://collections.mfa.org/objects/126696/rdfhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/1208376/resize%3Aformat%3DfullTapestry fragment with Pan and Dionysos4th–5th century A.D.Dyed wool in plain weave [check the weave]; tapestry weave in undyed and colored wools [please Technique: Wool tapestry: [please, review. Is the green ground cloth along the edges in tapestry weave or is it in plain weave?] Warp: light bluish-green wool, S-spun; 9-10 to cm; perpendicular to the design. Weft: colored wools (Z-spun) [are all weft yarns Z-spun? Needs further analysis] Slit joins The coloring of this piece is quite unusual and the colors need to be individually re-identified from the panel itselfA nearly square panel with Pan and Dionysos is a fragment of a larger woolen cover or wrap as indicated by the direction of the warps and small remnants of the green ground along the frayed edges. The panel has a multi fileted frame in dark blue and cream with a flower petal garland filling the middle. The main field belongs to Pan (on the right) and Dionysos (on the left). Dionysos wears a panther-skin exomis tied in the knot of Hercules on the left shoulder, is lightly bearded, his dark hair braided (?) and pulled back. A muscular Pan has dark hair and beard. Both figures are rendered three-dimensionally, emphasized by their varied flash tones standing out against the dark blue (?purple) of the ground.The composition has a considerable spatial quality and is very active with the figures going to the left while still turning their heads to the right. Pan’s head communicates lateral movement, in a nearly frontal portrayal Dionysos looks more toward the viewer. Holding onto Pan’s shoulder, the god of Wine projects his altered physical state. The Dionysiac content of the scene is further enforced by the cult’s attributes (clappers, pipes, garland, kantharos [drinking cup] and a goat skin) filling the space around the figures. Both figures have haloes, a device that acknowledges their divine status, although in the Late Roman period haloes begun to be used more widely as a general framing of the heads The frayed edges and the size of the panel indicate that it came from a larger textile and was only one of a set of four or five such panels woven-in in the corners or in the center and the corners. Considering the popularity and the extent of the Dionysiac cycle, it is likely that in the themes of all four/five tapestry panels drew on that myth. Another textile with the Dionysiac cycle is hinted at by a pair of tapestry woven panels with Silenus and Maenad in the MFA (53.19 and 53.20).http://collections.mfa.org/objects/88212/rdfhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/727579/resize%3Aformat%3Dfullwall hanging550-725Linen and woolTechnique: Tapestry weave in colored wools with some linen. Warp: red wool (S-spun; verify) Weft: red, blue, green, and yellow wool [all S-spun]; some undyed linen [S-spun]. (Please, verify: 1. S-spinning of the yarns; 2. Possibility that some linen is bleached, esp. in the dress of the figures, as is the case with MFA 27.566; 3 Colors are cited as listed in the original file; review for accuracy] A substantially preserved long tapestry cover or carpet woven with colored wools, undyed and bleached [please, verify] linen, decorated with the regularly repeated design that imitates the effect of mechanical patterning of draw loom weaving. The extant textile includes the main field and a large portion of the border and it is framed by light color [cream-yellow?]filets, one framing the entire textile the other the main field. The border has dark-blue ground filled with two types of abstract flowers alternating in regular repeat between complete and two halves framed all around with narrow dark [dark purple?] filets. Traces of the red weaving along the top edge may indicate an existence of an outer border. The red grounded field contains eight rows of facing males in pairs as principal design units in repeated pattern in staggered arrangement of one full and one halved unit per row. The men in profile, carry a bowl of fruit with birds between them with one hand while holding facing leashed feline with the other hand. Additional fillers include a shallow dish and a leaf motif. The men have dark hair pulled up in knots and covered with beribboned hats; they wear eastern-style short fitting long sleeved and belted tunics and trimmed cloaks that alternate between green and dark-blue, light leggings and dark boots. The clarity of the dense design is maintained using outlines and alternating color scheme. [ Background info] Although woven as a tapestry, the design effect of the MFA cover/carpet is very close to Sasanian draw loom silk weaving and can be considered as belonging to the ‘first’ generation tapestry imitations. Here, not only the continuous patterning in the MFA textile approximates the effect of mechanized draw-loom weaving, also all its individual motifs—floral in the border the figural in the main field – were inspired by Sasanian silks. Although Mediterranean trade included exchange of textiles and yarns from as far as China, silks that inspired tapestry imitations were found in Early Byzantine graves, primarily in Antinoopolis in Egypt, on distinct Sasanian garments and are considered products Sasanian silk weaving. They were novelty and appeal of their designs inspired Egyptian weavers to copy them effectively for local use in different yarns and weaving technique. The MFA tapestry belongs to a substantial group that share similar mid 6th to early 7th century dates, firmly established by C-14 testing of many of them. See Comparanda 2. http://collections.mfa.org/objects/66867/rdf