Fragment of a Tunic (400s): Art, History and Details

Fragment of a Tunic (400s) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

The quality of this finely woven decoration outweighs its fragmentary condition. The central horizontal neck opening, reinforced with a cord, is flanked by panels displaying warriors, hunters, dancers, lions, and rabbits. Some are standing upright, when viewed from the front and back of the tunic, and others appear to be “lying down.” In the shoulder square on the right, four kneeling hunters holding round shields are dressed in Roman-Byzantine military costume, which consists of a leather skirt, cloak over the shoulder, and high laced boots.

Object facts

• Title: Fragment of a Tunic
• Date: 400s
• Culture: Egypt, 5th century, Byzantine period
• Type: Textile
• Technique: tabby weave with inwoven tapestry ornament: linen
• Dimensions: Overall: 82.2 x 60 cm (32 3/8 x 23 5/8 in.); Mounted: 90.2 x 67.9 cm (35 1/2 x 26 3/4 in.)
• Collection: Textiles
• Department: Textiles
• Accession number: 1950.147

Collection credit

John L. Severance Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.