Papyrus Fragment of a Letter
Unknown Artist
580–640
Medium
Papyrus with ink
Dimensions
Overall: 2 3/8 x 1 9/16 in. (6 x 4 cm) Framed: 2 5/8 x 2 5/16 in. (6.6 x 5.9 cm)
Classification
Papyrus
Culture
Coptic
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1914
Accession Number
14.1.538
Art Historical Context
This delicate papyrus fragment, measuring just 2⅜ x 1⁹/₁₆ inches, preserves a portion of a letter from Coptic Egypt around 580–640 AD. Crafted with ink on the ancient plant-based medium of papyrus— the everyday writing surface of Mediterranean world—it offers a tangible link to the late antique period, just before the Arab conquest transformed the region. Acquired through the Rogers Fund in 1914, it in the Metropolitan Museum of's Medieval Art department, among Coptic treasures. In Coptic culture, a vibrant Christian community blending Egyptian traditions with Byzantine influences, such lette...