Assemblage of tapestry fragments. In the centre, a horseman with a feline (or dog?) on the horseback. The horse’s coat is orange-like but its hooves and mane are depicted in red, blue-green and pink. On either side, a peacock holding a fish (?) in its beak.
Origin:
Egypt
Date:
6th - 8th century
Material:
Linen and wool
Dimensions:
1) Warp: 19.5 cm, weft: 47cm;
2) Warp: 14 cm, weft: 19 cm
Comparisons:
Coll. Choron (cat. The rich Life and the Dance, UIP 2015), inv. A37: the two lower horsemen.
Louvre X 4439 (unmounted horse).
Provenance:
Collection Coptic textiles Fill-Trevisiol: donation
Location:
Musée royal de Mariemont
Woollen and linen tapestry
I. Ground weave
Warp:
natural-coloured wool S: 9/cm
Weft:
natural-coloured wool S: 28-32/cm
Weave:
weft-faced tabby
II. Tapestry areas
Warp:
natural-coloured wool S: 9/cm
Weft:
pink, red, yellow and different nuances of blue wool S: +/- 44/cm; natural-coloured linen S: +/- 40/cm
Weave:
weft-faced tabby
Special techniques:
slit tapestry, eccentric weft, lazy lines in ground weave to facilitate the weaving of the tapestry parts