Roundel with curvilinear palmette tree, from a tunic
Unknown Artist
600–850
Medium
Silk; complementary weft-faced twill weave with inner warps (samite)
Dimensions
{"overall":{"height":0.206,"width":0.19},"mounted":{"height":0.279,"width":0.267}}
Classification
Textile
Department
Textiles
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Accession Number
1952.102
About this artwork
Originally, roundels like this were cut and sewn onto the front and back of a tunic, probably linen, in Egypt. They belong to a sizeable group of comparable silk decorations found in Akhmim, Egypt. In each roundel, a stylized palmette tree is enclosed within a simplified lotus border that evolved from an ancient Egyptian lotus motif.