Neck Ornament of a Tunic (400s CE): Art, History and Details

Neck Ornament of a Tunic (400s CE) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

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

This was the front or back ornament of a unisex tunic neck opening made in linen. The border at the neck displays an interlacing vine scroll inscribing alternating male and female busts. Below it are two of the original three arches and one of the supporting columns with a stylized capital. The male figure on the left wears a short garment (chiton) draped over one shoulder and has a shield. He is accompanied by a figure on the right.

Object facts

• Title: Neck Ornament of a Tunic
• Date: 400s CE
• Culture: Egypt, Byzantine period
• Type: Textile
• Technique: Undyed linen and dyed wool: tapestry weave with supplementary weft wrapping
• Dimensions: Overall: 18.4 x 28.9 cm (7 1/4 x 11 3/8 in.); Mounted: 26.7 x 37.1 cm (10 1/2 x 14 5/8 in.)
• Collection: T - Coptic
• Department: Textiles
• Accession number: 1982.81

Collection credit

Andrew R. and Martha Holden Jennings 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.