Ornamental Square from a Tunic
Unknown Artist
400s CE
Medium
Linen, undyed; wool, dyed; tapestry weave with supplementary weft wrapping
Dimensions
21 × 20 cm · mounted: 28.6 × 27.6 cm
Classification
Textile
Department
Textiles
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust
Accession Number
1916.1980
About this artwork
Riders dressed in hunting clothes and boots hurl rocks at fleeing lions. The man wears a short tunic and the woman has a fluttering skirt. The border consists of curved acanthus leaves that enclose a chase of alternating lions and hares. This square was sewn onto a tunic rather than woven in. Hunting was a popular artistic theme in pre-Islamic traditions, including Byzantine art, and was then adopted into Islamic art.