Luxurious Woolen Tunic with Decorated Bands and Roundels (600s–700s): Art, History and Details

Luxurious Woolen Tunic with Decorated Bands and Roundels (600s–700s) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

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

Since the mid-200s CE tunics were the main garments worn in Egypt. This unisex tunic is decorated on the front and back with the same geometric and figural motifs, including men on horseback hunting and geometric braided knots that were believed to protect the wearer from harm. A red background was favored in the early Islamic period. Made of thick wool for cooler weather, it was woven in one complete piece with the front, back, and sleeves in this exact shape and size. The tunic’s owner repaired it on the left side and shortened it nearly two inches by sewing a fold around the waist. The discoloration and deterioration indicate the garment may have been used in a burial.

Object facts

• Title: Luxurious Woolen Tunic with Decorated Bands and Roundels
• Date: 600s–700s
• Culture: Egypt, Umayyad period (661–750)
• Type: Textile
• Technique: undyed linen, dyed wool: weft-faced plain weave with slit- and dovetailed-tapestry weave, supplementary weft wrapping, embroidery
• Dimensions: Overall: 205 x 170.2 cm (80 11/16 x 67 in.)
• Collection: Textiles
• Department: Textiles
• Accession number: 1972.46

Collection credit

The A. W. Ellenberger, Sr., Endowment Fund

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.