Fragment of a Tunic
Unknown Artist
400s–600s CE
Medium
wool: tabby ground, inwoven tapestry ornament
Dimensions
94 × 39.4 cm · mounted: 99.7 × 48.3 cm
Classification
Textile
Department
Textiles
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of George D. Pratt
Accession Number
1926.143
About this artwork
Tunics with decoration on the front and back were worn by both men and women. These long bands, called clavi, feature pairs of stylized haloed figures gesturing, possibly in dance, and wearing short skirts with scarves across their chests. They alternate with pairs of foxes (?) and fish. The ancient repair in the lower center of this woolen winter tunic reveals that decorated cloth was expensive, and thus often mended and reused.