Lions from a Tunic
Unknown Artist
c. 800s
Medium
tapestry weave with supplementary weft wrapping; undyed linen and dyed wool
Dimensions
23 × 23 cm · mounted: 29.2 × 29.2 cm
Classification
Textile
Department
Textiles
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Andrew R. and Martha Holden Jennings Fund
Accession Number
1982.83
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
The royal lions and jeweled border in this colorful roundel, originally from a tunic, conveyed power and wealth. The symmetrical design with lions and ducks flanking the central palmette (fan-shaped plant form) indicates that the pattern was copied from a costlier silk textile woven on a loom that automatically repeated the design in mirror-image symmetry.